Download Richard Nixon

Richard Nixon The 37th President of the United States of America from 1969 to 1974 Biography ● Born 9 January 1913, died 22 April 1994. ● On a scholarship he attended Duke’s Law School. ● In 1940 he married Thelma Catherine ‘Pat’ Ryan with whom he had two daughters, Tricia and Julie. ● Enlisted in the United States Navy in 1942, and served in the Pacific with the Combat Air Transport Command. ● Served as a Congressman, Senator, and Vice President before being elected President in 1969. ● Only American President to ever resign from office; Nixon resigned due to the Watergate Scandal. Ideology ● Nixon was a Republican and had a strong anti­communist belief. Alliances and Diplomacy ● Nixon hoped to ease world tension through diplomacy, and by making new connections with old rivals. ● Soviet Union ○ Nixon was the first American President to visit Moscow. ○ Met with the leader of Russia, Brezhnev, multiple times. ○ These meetings led to the signing of the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty or S.A.L.T. ● China ○ Nixon visited ‘Red China’ in 1972 for talks with chairman Mao Zedong and premier Zhou Enlai. ○ He re­established diplomatic links with China and desired to withdraw troops from Vietnam. ○ It was the first high level contact between the USA and Mainland China in over 20 years, and it paved the way for a new set of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Policies ● Economic ○ In the Economic Stabilization Act of 1970 he attempted to gain control of price levels in the American economy amid large inflation rates. ○ Took American dollar off of the Gold Standard to let it float against other world currencies. ● Domestic ○ Signed legislation abolishing the USA’s military draft. ○ Established Environmental Protection Agency. ● Foreign ○ Nixon Doctrine ­Noted that the USA would keep all of its treaty commitments including the specific outward flow of economic and military assistance, and it would provide a shield if a nuclear power threatened either the freedom of a nation allied with the USA or the existence of a country vital to the USA’s security. Role, Significance, and Legacy ● Tried to end America’s inner turmoil over the Vietnam War with an ‘honourable exit.’ ● Helped bring about the end of Cold War by forging new diplomatic ties with China and the Soviet Union. ● However, because of Nixon’s involvement in Watergate and his subsequent resignation, he deepened America’s skepticism of their government, and he soiled his own reputation and memory.