The Nixon Administration

I. Nixon’s New Conservatism Cut back on Great Society Spending, gave more power to state and local governments. (New Federalism) introduced “law and order” policies to please the “silent majority” who were upset by urban riots and antiwar protest.

II. Nixon’s Southern Strategy Nixon immediately began thinking about reelection 1) He wanted to gain the support of Southern democrats who voted for Wallace. B. Nixon supported slowing down integration and was against using busing to further integrate the schools

III.The stagnant economy Nixon faced rising unemployment and inflation largely caused by LBJ’s policies of paying for a war and increasing social programs at the same time. Nixon introduced price controls to address the inflation problem.

IV. Nixon on Foreign policy Realpolitik- foreign policy should be based solely on consideration of power, not ideals or moral principles. Détente, a more flexible way of dealing with communist nations Nixon opened up diplomatic and trade relations with China. He also signed SALT I with the Soviet Union which limited the amount of missiles each nation would have.

V. Reelection Despite being up in the polls, Nixon’s administration sent people to break in to the Democrats headquarters at the Watergate Hotel to gain info. The burglars were caught The public paid little attention to this at first and it did not affect Nixon's reelection campaign as he won in a landslide.

VI. The Scandal The Washington Post continued to write stories and linked many government officials to the break in. The Senate held hearings about the burglary and discovered that Nixon had recorders in his office. C. The Senate demanded that Nixon turn over tapes he had of all his recorded conversations. D. The tapes provided evidence that Nixon knew about the break-in and attempted to cover it up. E. This caused Nixon to resign rather than face impeachment charges.