1. Politics and Economics
The Nixon Administration
Created by: Mr. Chansen, Stephen T.
Department Head - Sunset High School
Dallas Independent School District

2. Appealing to Middle America
By the Presidential election of 1968, many people in the U.S. were extremely frustrated.
Many people turned to Republican Richard M. Nixon
He courted the vote of what he called “Middle American” and the “Silent Majority”
Also promised to end the war in Vietnam and bring “peace with Honour”
Said he would bring the country back to more traditional values
His opponents
Hubert Humphrey (Democrat)
George Wallace (American Independent)

3. Nixon’s “Southern Strategy” A Major Shift in American Political Parties
Nixon went after the votes in the South. These had traditionally been Democratic states going all the way back before the Civil War.
He met with Southern senators like Strom Thurmond & promised to appoint a Southern VP (Spiro Agnew – Gov. of Maryland), he would oppose the courts on things like busing in the South, and he would only appoint conservatives to Federal courts, including a Southerner to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Strategy worked – White Southerners abandoned the Democratic Party and began a steady switch over to the Republicans.
Democrats were only victorious in one Southern state, Texas.
4 Southern states went to Wallace though. He was a segregationist.
After his victory, Nixon attracted more Southerners to him and the Republican Party by slowing desegregation & even worked to overturn some Civil Rights policies.

4. A “Law-and-Order” President
Another campaign promise of Nixon’s, had been to uphold law and order.
Went after anti-war protesters
Attorney General Mitchell prosecuted those who crossed state lines and started riots
“We’re going to enforce the law against draft evaders, against radical students, against deserters, against civil disorders, against organized crime, and against street crime.”
Also opposed Supreme Court rulings that expanded rights for accused criminals
When Chief Justice Earl Warren retired, Nixon replaced him with Conservative judge Warren Burger.
During his presidency, he also appointed another 3 conservative judges to the Supreme Court, including 1 Southerner.
These new Justices did not reverse older ruling, but they refused to expand on them.
Stone v. Powell (1976) – limited the right to appeal state convictions to a Federal court.
Reaffirmed capital punishment

5. Another Nixon Campaign promise had been to reduce the size of the Federal Government.
Policy of “New Federalism” – End several government programs and give more control and power back to the states. This was supposed to be more effective.
Congress passed new “revenue-sharing” laws that would make state agencies more dependent on Federal funding.
Revenue-sharing – federal tax money that is distributed among the states.
Nixon set out to end or reduce in size many of Johnson’s “Great Society” programs.
He vetoed funding for the Department of Housing & Urban Development
Eliminated the Office of Economic Opportunity
When Congress would approve funds for a program he opposed, Nixon would “impound” that money and refuse to release it.
Impound – to take possession of
By 1973, Nixon had impounded about $18 Billion, the Supreme Court then said it was Unconstitutional.
New Federalism

6. Family Assistance Plan
One piece of social legislation that Nixon actually pushed for was his reform of the welfare system.
Program was called Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC)
1969 – Nixon tries to replace AFDC with the Family Assistance Plan
Would provide needy families with a $1600/year grant
Liberals were thrilled & supported the plan
Conservatives were against guaranteed income
Passed the House of Reps. In 1970, but was defeated in the Senate.

7. Nixon’s Foreign Policy
Despite his involvement in social issues, it was said that Nixon had a “monumental disinterest in domestic policies,” and that he wanted a “competent cabinet” to run the country for him so he could focus on foreign policy.
Nixon choose former Harvard professor Henry Kissinger as his personal advisor for foreign policy.
Kissinger had served under both Kennedy and Johnson
Nixon and Kissinger shared many views
Both thought that simply abandoning the war in Vietnam would hurt the U.S. internationally
Implemented the Vietnamization Policy
Worked so well, that they expanded the policy to other allies around the world. It became known as the Nixon Doctrine.
Nixon’s Foreign Policy

8. Détente
Soviet Union was upset about Nixon become president, as he was known as an anti-communist
Nixon and Kissinger still wanted to contain communism, but thought that negotiating was a better strategy
Developed new policy called détente.
Détente – a policy that attempts to relax or ease tensions between nations.
This policy helped ease the tensions between the U.S. and its 2 biggest rivals, the communist nations of the USSR and China.
Proxy wars
Even with improved relations the U.S. still got involved in places like Chile, when the CIA supported a coup of President Salvador.
Conflicts like these did not directly involve the U.S. or the USSR, but were supported because it was a part of their international strategy.

9. Nixon Goes to China
The détente with China was particularly helpful in easing tensions.
The U.S. had refused to recognize the communist government there since their successful revolution in 1949.
Instead the U.S. recognized the exiled regime that was on the Island of Taiwan.
Nixon had previously supported this policy, but now reversed it.
After months of highly secret negotiations between Kissinger and the Chinese, Nixon said he would travel to China in February, 1972.
During the trip both sides agreed to a “more normal” relationship

10. Easing of U.S./U.S.S.R. Tensions
Nixon’s policy had worked, soon after the world learned of the scheduled U.S./China meet, the USSR proposed a summit between the 2 nations.
Summit – a meeting between heads of government
Nixon flew to Moscow on May 22, 1972.
During summit, both nations signed the SALT I Treaty.
SALT – Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty
Agreement that both nation temporarily “froze” the number of nuclear weapons.
Increased trade
Exchange of scientific knowledge
Best period of US/Soviet relations through entire Cold War
Helped to inspire the Helsinki Accords held in 1975