The Nixon Administration Chapter 24, Section 1

New Federalism Great Society had given the federal government too much responsibility Decrease size and influence of federal government Distribute a portion of federal power to state and local governments Revenue Sharing: state and local governments could spend their federal dollars however they saw fit (certain limitations)

Welfare Reform Family Assistance Plan: Every family of four with no outside income would receive a base federal payment of $1600 with a provision to earn up to $4000 in supplemental income Unemployed participants (excluding mothers of preschoolers) would have to take job training and accept any reasonable work offered to them Bill defeated

New Federalism Wears Two Faces Increased Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid programs and made food stamps more accessible Impounded $15 billion affecting more than 100 federal programs Impoundment found unconstitutional Abolished EEOC

Law and Order Politics Battled liberal elements of society De-escalated the war in Vietnam Restore order to appease the silent majority upset by urban rioting and antiwar demonstrations Illegal wiretaps of left-wing affiliates (Watergate) CIA investigated and compiled documents on thousands of American dissidents Personal “enemies” list Agnew; combative and denounced the opposition and media as liberal cheerleaders

Law and Order Policies

Southern Strategy 1972 election; working toward a conservative coalition Tried to attract Southern conservative democrats Appealed to their unhappiness with federal desegregation laws and a liberal Supreme Court Promised to name a Southerner to the SC

A New South By 1968, most southern democrats had become disillusioned with the party Great Society too liberal CRM too liberal George Wallace carried 5 southern states and 13% of the popular vote Nixon wanted THESE voters Keep the White House and recapture the majority in Congress

Nixon Slows Integration “There are those who want instant integration and those who want segregation forever. I believe we need to have a middle course between those extremes.” Reversed several civil rights policies Ordered delay of desegregation of schools in South Carolina and Mississippi Question: What SC decision did this violate? Opposed extension to Voting Rights Act

Controversy over Busing Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education (1971): school districts may bus students to other schools to end the pattern of all-black/all-white schools Nixon supported stopping the busing

A Battle Over the Supreme Court During the 1968 campaign, Nixon criticized the Warren Court for being too liberal Four justices left the bench during Nixon’s first term Appointed more conservative justices Did not always make conservative decisions

26th Amendment 1971 Voting rights extended to Americans 18 years or older Could fight in Vietnam, but couldn’t vote? Why did liberals support this amendment? Why did conservatives oppose it?

Stagflation High inflation and high unemployment Deficit spending under Johnson Increased competition in international trade Flood of new workers (baby boomers and women) Heavy dependency on foreign oil

OPEC During the 1960s, America received most of its oil from the oil-producing countries from the Middle East Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries: Middle East oil cartel; gradually raised prices during the 1960s Yom Kippur War Israel vs. Syria and Egypt Holiest Jewish Holiday US sent massive aid to Israel OPEC cut off oil sales to US and worsened inflation

The Yom Kippur War

Nixon Battles Inflation Tried to raise taxes and cut the budget Tried to reduce money in circulation by raising interest rates Price and wage controls Froze workers’ wages, businesses’ prices and fees for 90 days

Nixon’s Foreign Policy Realpolitik: Political realism Foreign policy should be based solely on consideration of power, not ideals or moral principles More practical to ignore weak countries, even if they were communist Henry Kissinger (Sec of State) Détente: Policy aimed at easing Cold War tensions Flexible; willingness to negotiate and ease tensions between communist nations Visited China in 1972

Nixon Visits China Communist takeover of China in 1949 Not recognized by the US government Trying to take advantage of a rift between the USSR and China “We want to have the Chinese with us then we sit down and negotiate with the Russians.” Enormously symbolic Settle disputes peacefully Participate in scientific and cultural exchanges

Nixon Travels to Moscow First US president to ever visit Brezhnev and Nixon SALT I Treaty Limited number of missile production “Peace is at hand” Re-elected Six months to withdraw troops from Vietnam The War is over

Nixon Visits China and USSR