The Tet Offensive increased protest over American involvement in Vietnam Violence at the Democratic presidential convention Assassinations of Dr. Martian Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy 1968 A Turning Point in History
The Tet Offensive increased protest over American involvement in Vietnam
Violence at the Democratic presidential convention
Assassinations of Dr. Martian Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy
1968 A Turning Point in History
Nixon was career politician who had mixed success
VP under Eisenhower
You either trusted him or disliked him
Tricky Dick
Nixon beats Hubert Humphrey
He wins by only one percentage point
Democrats control both houses of congress
Republicans back in White House
The Vote
Nixon came in with an idea called New Conservativism1969
Wanted to return a sense of order
Wanted to bring an end to war, end the divide
Nixon Administration
Law and Order Politics Nix fought with Liberal elements of society Clashed with anti war Deescalated war, oversaw peace negotiations Promised to end urban violence and protests Appealed to Silent Majority Used Agnew to confront anti war
His cabinet members were all wealthy and white
They all shared his views
However Nixon often relied on two key people
His Chief of Staff Sec. of State
His People
He wanted to ease cold war tension with the Soviet Union
He wanted to establish a relationship with China
The man for this job
Henry Kissinger
Nixon's Foreign Policy
Henry (Heinz) Kissinger
Jewish Family Fled Nazi
Germany when he was 15
Undergrad, grad and PHD from Harvard University
Faculty member at Harvard
Professor of Government
Kissenger
Kissinger didn't believe in massive retaliation warfare
Believed in limited nuclear war Realpoltik (practical politics) He was much like Nixon Secretive and Suspicious
Kissinger
dey-tahnt French Word meaning release from tension is the name given to a period of improved
relations between the United States and the Soviet Union
DÉTENTE
1949 became Communist They had no diplomatic relations with the
U.S. Deep tensions between the Soviet Union
and China exited Nixon and Kissinger view this as a chance to
drive a wedge between the USSR and China
China
In order to drive that wedge Nixon eased some trade restrictions with China
1972 Nixon traveled to China
First U.S. President to travel to China
DÉTENTE
Recognize the Peoples Republic of China as a legit government
Give them a seat in the United Nations
Bargaining chip with the Soviet Union
Press coverage would boost him at home
He met with Mao Zedong
Motive
Nixon toured the Great Wall all for photo opsHe played the press to his advantage This permitted him to keep public attention
focused on his foreign policy achievements rather than his domestic problems
China
Nixon visited the secretary-general of the Soviet Communist party, Leonid I. Brezhnev, in Moscow, May 1972
given the growing antagonism between Russia and China, Brezhnev had no wish to see his most potent rivals close ranks against him
Both countries stood to gain if trade could be increased and the danger of nuclear warfare reduced.
DÉTENTE IN MOSCOW
On May 22 Nixon became the first U.S. president to visit Moscow. He and Brezhnev signed seven agreements covering the prevention of accidental military clashes;
Moscow
Strategic Arms Limitation Talks 30 months of negations cooperative research in a variety of areas,
including space exploration; and expanded commerce
Limited the number of Inter continental missiles and sub lunched missiles held by both countries at 1972 levels for 5 years
Restricted the development of defensive antiballistic missiles
SALT