The Tet Offensive increased protest over American involvement in Vietnam

Violence at the Democratic presidential convention

Assassinations of Dr. Martian Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy

1968 A Turning Point in History

1968 A turning Point in History

Richard M Nixon Republican Law and Order

Candidate Secret plan to end

the Vietnam War

1968

Nixon was career politician who had mixed success

VP under Eisenhower

You either trusted him or disliked him

Tricky Dick

Nixon beats Hubert Humphrey

He wins by only one percentage point

Democrats control both houses of congress

Republicans back in White House

The Vote

Nixon came in with an idea called New Conservativism1969

Wanted to return a sense of order

Wanted to bring an end to war, end the divide

Nixon Administration

Law and Order Politics Nix fought with Liberal elements of society Clashed with anti war Deescalated war, oversaw peace negotiations Promised to end urban violence and protests Appealed to Silent Majority Used Agnew to confront anti war

His cabinet members were all wealthy and white

They all shared his views

However Nixon often relied on two key people

His Chief of Staff Sec. of State

His People

Kissinger and Haldeman

He wanted to ease cold war tension with the Soviet Union

He wanted to establish a relationship with China

The man for this job

Henry Kissinger

Nixon's Foreign Policy

Henry (Heinz) Kissinger

Jewish Family Fled Nazi

Germany when he was 15

Undergrad, grad and PHD from Harvard University

Faculty member at Harvard

Professor of Government

Kissenger

Kissinger didn't believe in massive retaliation warfare

Believed in limited nuclear war Realpoltik (practical politics) He was much like Nixon Secretive and Suspicious

Kissinger

dey-tahnt French Word meaning release from tension is the name given to a period of improved

relations between the United States and the Soviet Union  

DÉTENTE

1949 became Communist They had no diplomatic relations with the

U.S. Deep tensions between the Soviet Union

and China exited Nixon and Kissinger view this as a chance to

drive a wedge between the USSR and China

China

In order to drive that wedge Nixon eased some trade restrictions with China

1972 Nixon traveled to China

First U.S. President to travel to China

DÉTENTE

Recognize the Peoples Republic of China as a legit government

Give them a seat in the United Nations

Bargaining chip with the Soviet Union

Press coverage would boost him at home

He met with Mao Zedong

Motive

Nixon toured the Great Wall all for photo opsHe played the press to his advantage  This permitted him to keep public attention

focused on his foreign policy achievements rather than his domestic problems

China

Nixon visited the secretary-general of the Soviet Communist party, Leonid I. Brezhnev, in Moscow, May 1972

given the growing antagonism between Russia and China, Brezhnev had no wish to see his most potent rivals close ranks against him

Both countries stood to gain if trade could be increased and the danger of nuclear warfare reduced.

DÉTENTE IN MOSCOW

On May 22 Nixon became the first U.S. president to visit Moscow. He and Brezhnev signed seven agreements covering the prevention of accidental military clashes;

Moscow

Strategic Arms Limitation Talks  30 months of negations cooperative research in a variety of areas,

including space exploration; and expanded commerce

Limited the number of Inter continental missiles and sub lunched missiles held by both countries at 1972 levels for 5 years

Restricted the development of defensive antiballistic missiles

SALT

Was this treaty strong or weak in controlling nuclear arms?

Was this a pure political move?

Salt