Kurt+-+RN+-+F08

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The presidency of Richard Nixon was headed in the right direction until his unfortunate involvement in the Watergate scandal. What he he achieved in the area of foreign policy( more specifically nuclear arms control) was a step in the right direction. Unfortunately the scandal almost offsets the good things that he did and for this I will award him a grade of a C.=====

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The major goals of Nixon when he entered office was to unite the American people once again who were extremely divided over the war, win the war in Vietnam and gradually remove the troops, stabilizing relations with Communist powers, and bring about a new enviromental program. You could say that he somewhat accomplished winning the war when he improved his relations with the communist powers in an effort to pressure North Vietnam into reaching a settlement. This was finally accomplished in 1973 when the Paris Peace Accord was signed and U.S. ground forces ceased participation in the war. He accomplished his goal of bringing about a new enviromental program by installing many Justices who were more conservative to the Supreme Court.=====

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The relationship that Nixon had with the Democratic Congress could be viewed as okay. Nixon was able to please the democrats enough to get what he wanted as evidence by the Enviromental Protection Agency which he created so a more liberal enviromental program would not be created. During his time as president he passed more regulations on the economy since the days of the New Deal. Many of the legislation passed dealt with the work force and enviromental protection such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Clean Air Act which called for a reduction in automoblie admissions. On the foreign plateau Nixon was excellent.=====

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Overall the best thing that I think Nixon accomplished during his presidency was his dealing with the Communist powers during the later stages of the Vietnam War. What he was able to accomplish witht the Soviet Union and China in the area of nuclear arms reduction somewhat set the stage for future comprimise. He managed to push through the Strategic Arms Limitations Talk and eventually used his improving relations with the Soviet Union and China to pressure North Vietnam into peace agreements. All of this led to the slow removal of ground troops from Vietnam and really sealed his legacy in the foreign arena.=====

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The worst decision that Nixon made during his presidency other than the his involvement in the Watergate Scandal was the recording of tapes about the removing of troops from the Vietnam War. What happened was he secretly recorded tapes saying that he would prolong the war because it was inevitable that South Vietnam would collapse but he wanted to make sure the collapse happened after he was reelected in the upcoming election. This and the Watergate tapes led to the American citizens no longer wanting to trust high political figures.=====

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Richard Nixon obviously had a lasting impact on the American society and for future presidential administrations. His involvement in Watergate led to future distrust of political leaders. He did also have a positive impact on future society with some of his domestic policies. With enviromental based acts such as the Clean Air Act, Enviromental Protection Agency, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration he took a step in the right direction of improving the enviroment and overall living conditions of the American people.=====

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Nixon was headed in the right direction up until his unfortunate involvement in the Watergate scandal. What he was able to accomplish at home as well as overseas was commendable, but as the Rolling Stones once said, ¨ No you can´t always get what you want,¨ and that was the case with Ricard Nixon in the later stages of his presidency. With all of that taken into account I believe that Nixon deserves the grade of a C.=====

Sources:

1. “Richard Nixon.” //The White House//. Washington. 17 December 2008. 

2. Kennedy, David M., Lizabeth Cohen, and Thomas A. Bailey. __American Pageant : Advanced__ __Placement__. 12th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin College Division.

3. “Richard Nixon (1969-1974).” //Miller Center of Public Affairs.// 2008. University of Virginia. 17 December 2008. [|.