The Political Significance of Watergate

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the Watergate scandal during the presidency of Richard Nixon. It describes the events of the Watergate break-in and the consequences for the president and his political party. The paper specifically examines the political aftermath of the scandal and the affect that it had on the way that Americans felt about both politics and the presidency.

From the Paper:

"The Watergate scandal had a lasting impact on the American political landscape. Obviously, it resulted in the resignation of President Nixon and virtually ensured that the Democrats would be successful in the next presidential election. Moreover, it changed the nature of how American approached politics and the political spectrum. Unlike their predecessors, the presidents following Nixon were no longer able to push political scandals under the rug. With time, the trend exacerbated, with one president even being impeached because of his sexual behavior. Oddly enough, that event seemed to bring about a new era of reluctance to challenge sitting presidents, and the current president, despite having the lowest approval rating of any modern president, has not been subjected to impeachment proceedings."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Apple, R.W. "In 2 Years, Watergate Scandal Brought Down President Who Had Wide Mandate; At End, Nixon Had Lost Confidence of the People Felled by Watergate Scandal The Fielding Break In." The New York Times. 9 Aug. 1974. NYTimes.com. 2 Sept. 2008 <http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F20E15FB35581A7493CBA91783D85F408785F9>.
• Bernstein, Carl and Bob Woodward. All the President's Men. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1974.
• Clymer, Adam. "National Archives has Given up on Filling the Nixon Tape Gap." The New York Times. 9 May 2003. NYTimes.com. 2 Sept. 2008 <http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E03E6DD173FF93AA35756C0A9659C8B63>.
• Congressional Quarterly, inc. Watergate: Chronology of a Crisis. Washington, D.C.: 1973.
• Dean, John Wesley. Blind Ambition: The White House Years. New York: Simon and Schuster,1976.

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