Question 1
The U.S had a strained relationship with the South Vietnamese president. The U.S opposed Diem leadership since it supported nuclear war. In a very unlikely event, the U.S supported the corrupt regime to avoid Ho Chi Minh coming into power. Later on, the U.S government planned and supported a coup to bring the leadership of Diem to a downfall so that they could fight the emergence of the illegal National Liberation Front.
Question 2
Lyndon advocated for the end of poverty since he was unhappy by the population who lived in absolute poverty. As a result, he introduced the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964, which aimed at helping the poor. Through him, the children of the poor accessed free education services, the youths were trained to prepare for employment and regional development programs improved the lives of the poor. In the great society initiatives, Johnson implemented the Higher Education Act that provided scholarships, introduced a Health care insurance scheme and implemented environmental reforms.
Question 3
Johnson signed Operation Rolling Thunder that aimed at increasing American soldiers in the United States. The act targeted at increased bombing attack against North Vietnam with the aim of ending the waging war in the south. Suprisingly, the Vietnamese were quick to rebuild the destroyed roads, bridges and revived the plantations. The U.S evil acts inspired the Vietnamese to fight and defend their country at all costs making U.S mission fail.
Question 4
a. Many American soldiers were wounded and died in the war and this annoyed the American people because of the loss of lives
b. The war brought a huge financial burden to the people, as it needed more of the taxpayer’s money. The government increased the taxes to fund the war.
c. American found it hard to convince the Vietnamese that its purpose was to advocate for a stable country and at the same time, they had destroyed their houses with the attacks.
Question 5
Sex, music, and drugs marshaled and inspired the youths to participate in a counter culture. Remarkably, in 1961, Peter Seeger set the tone for idealism when he released the song “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” The Beatles that came from pop music as well as other rebellious bands were embraced by the youth. Sex and drugs were further used to make the youth believe that the time for counterculture had come and that all youths embrace it.
Question 6
The war divided the people into classes; southern whites and northern working voters. It indicated the failures of democracy and Richard Nixon knew that the two groups were ready to switch sides. His campaign team was able to convince the working class who are the minority and Nixon won the 1968 elections under the republican umbrella. Most people were devastated by the results of the war and were no longer ready to support the Democrats.
Question 7
a. Vietnamization and My Lai; Nixon undertook vietniumization to reduce criticisms at home. He reduced the American troops in Vietnam in an effort to convince Americans that US was not taking an active part in the war. My Lai exposed how low-ranking soldiers were sacrificed when the state officers conducted atrocities.
b. Détente; lessened tensions between US, Soviet Union and china thus enabling Nixon to visit China with the aim of conducting a politically driven dialogue
Question 8
Nixon sent Kissinger to Paris peace talks initiated by Johnson. Kissinger spearheaded a consensus that ended U.S’s involvement in Vietnam. Kissinger broke the cold war impasse that had previously prevented U.S from engaging in dialogue with Soviet Union. Nixon also provided massive material and psychological support to help the Vietnamese regain their peace.
Question 9
The Watergate scandal involved political and historical background such as Vietnam situation in 1960s and the publications of the Pentagon Papers in 1970. The main and initial event of the scandal was in 1972 following the break-in at the Watergate Hotel. When Nixon was reelected in 1973, scandal was eminent. At the beginning of 1974, the nation was consumed by Watergate. In august that year, Nixon resigned. Following the cover-up of the scandal Republican Party shifted to the right. Congress moved to restrict presidential power, and also strengthen American opinion of government.
Question 10
The major energy crises were experienced in 1973 and 1979. The main cause of the energy crisis in 1970s was due to the export interruption from the Middle East countries. For example, in 1979, the energy crisis was caused by Iranian revolution. As a result, price in oil, electricity and gas escalated causing economic hardship to some part of the country.
Question 11
The goals of the environment activism were to promote a healthy environment and efficient exploration of the unspoiled resources. Their main aim was to conserve the environment. The activism prevented the Grand Canyon Dam, fought for cleaner and healthier airport and coast of Santa Barbara and finally became certified movement in 1970
Question 12
As an effort to boost economy Carter endorsed New Deal-era regulation of trucking, railroad and airline industries. His efforts resulted to increased competition and lowered prices. However, some firms could not thrive in the business and unionized workers were oppressed. It was as a result of ineffective measures to enhance the economic growth. Inflation rose to over eleven percent while his approval rating reduced to less than thirty percent.
Was the Nixon Presidency a success or a failure—was Nixon a “hero” or a “villain”?
Nixon brought a lot of change in the foreign policy. To start, he made the U.S open up constructive relations with China, unlike other presidents. Nixon lessened the tensions between U.S, China and the Soviet Union creating a favorable environment that made him the first U.S president to visit China. Secondly, Nixon is considered a hero since he was successful to reduce nuclear weapons after negotiations with the Soviet Union. Lastly, Nixon promised to get out the US troops from Vietnam since the citizens’ criticized the intentions of the government in the war as it increased financial burden to the taxpayers.
Nixon caused massive economic problems by misusing public funds. America incurred huge costs during the period. During the Watergate scandal, it was revealed that he was not honest and brought a disgrace to the White House. Additionally, his détente and vietnimization policies proved to be a failure. During his campaigns, Nixon made promises to push through civil rights statutes something that he never did once he got into office. Additionally, his failure can be seen in his political strategies that often made him to lose elections.
As elucidated above, the disadvantages of Nixon leadership to outweigh the advantages that he brought to the United States. He was associated with many failures since the status of America depreciated during his presidency. The United States suffered economic depression and the gap between the rich and the poor continued to widen. His efforts to strengthen foreign relations was received with contempt and at the end, he failed. Therefore, I concludes that, Nixon was a villain in the American leadership and his achievements were very little compared his failures.
References
Bonds, R., Nalty, B. C., & Allen, W. L. (1979). The Vietnam War: The illustrated history of the conflict in Southeast Asia. New York: Crown Publishers.
Dallek, R. (2007). Nixon and Kissinger: Partners in power. New York: HarperCollins Pub.
Emery, F. (1994). Watergate: The corruption of American politics and the fall of Richard Nixon. New York: Times Books.
Landy, M. K., Roberts, M. J., & Thomas, S. R. (1994). The Environmental Protection Agency: Asking the wrong questions from Nixon to Clinton. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Nalty, B. C. (1998). The Vietnam War: The history of America's conflict in Southeast Asia. London: Salamander Books.
The history of country & western music: 1928/1929. (2001). Hamburg, Germany: International Music Co.
