Crisis of Authority: Defeat in Indochina
The North Vietnamese launch a full-scale offensive against the South in March of 1975. Thieu appeals to Washington for assistance. As the North Vietnamese offensive gathers momentum in March and April of 1975, Ford breaks with Kissinger and announce...
Crisis of Authority: Watergate Crisis, The
Watergate includes a range of illegal activities that go beyond the break in at the Democratic National Headquarters. The use of illegal election funds to punish political opponents is just one of a number of disclosures that reveal the secret power...
Crisis of Authority: Troubled Economy, The
Inflation soars, in part because of the cost of energy. OPEC nations refuse to sell oil to the U.S. because of the nation's support for Israel in the Yom Kippur War. With major competition from abroad, some U.S. factories close causing millions of w...
Crisis of Authority: Vietnam--Peace with Honor?
As the 1972 election approaches, the Nixon administration steps up its efforts to end the carnage in Vietnam. Kissinger continues negotiations. In order to pressure North Vietnam, Nixon unleashes B-52 bombs at Christmas, an act that is condemned int...
Crisis of Authority: Relations with Superpowers
President Nixon believes the world is safer if the strength of the super powers is balanced. Nixon and Kissinger seize on the economic vulnerability of the Soviet Union to establish trade relationships with the USSR, treating it as a "normal state i...
Crisis of Authority: Downfall of a President, The
The public stands behind President Nixon in the wake of the Watergate scandal until tape recordings reveal that the President was involved. Nixon continues to deny involvement and alludes turning the tapes over, until the Supreme Court demands the t...
Crisis of Authority: Election of 1972, The
Nixon easily wins reelection against Democratic Senator George McGovern in 1972. Nixon aims to make significant cuts in federal programs. He also wants to use the power of the White House to impound monies, refusing to spend money that Congress has ...
Nation Torn, A: Presidential Race of 1968
In 1968 demonstrations and violent reactions occur within and without the Democratic convention in Chicago. Ultimately, the 1968 presidential election is a contest between the current and former vice president, Hubert Humphrey and Richard Nixon. Nix...
Presidency, The: A Delicate Balancing Act
Presidential advisor, political analyst and university professor David Gergen explains that the presidency is more than simply a relationship between the President and the people. If goals and objectives are to be reached, Mr. Gergen says, the Presi...
Restless Society: Republican Revival, The
By the late 1950s a growing restlessness lurks beneath the surface of American society. Anxiety about America's position in the world, growing pressure from African Americans and other minorities, and the increasing visibility of poverty are beginni...