Essay
A* Essay on the reasons for Nixon's Resignation
- Module
- Depth Study
- Institution
- AQA
Essay of 3 pages for the course Depth Study at AQA (Nixon)
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With reference to these sources and your understanding of the historical context, assess thevalue of these three sources to an historian studying President Nixon’s resignation. (30
marks)
Overall, Source A is valuable to an historian studying President Nixon’s resignation as it
gives insight into Nixon's own reasoning for resigning from the presidency. The main value
of the source is its content and argument. For example, in the source, Nixon focuses mainly
on the American public and putting their interests first, showing his thought process that his
resignation is for the good of America. He points out the “problems we face at home and
abroad” which could only be solved if he resigned as if he continued to stay in office he
would “absorb the time and attention of both the President and Congress”. This shows that
Nixon’s resignation was due to him wanting America to focus on improving and not his
political scandal. These “problems at home” which the source describes include the energy
crisis, inflation and other socio-economic issues. Nixon’s own attempt to fix these problems
only made it worse; his NEP of 1971 introduced a wage-price freeze and devalued the dollar
leading to the great inflation of 1973. High inflation was exacerbated by a developing energy
crisis; Nixon’s support of Israel in the 1973 Arab-Israeli war led to an OPEC oil embargo on
the US. The end of this embargo led to a 387% hike in the price of oil that greatly damaged
the American economy and had a massive impact on the lives of Americans who now paid
30% more for heating oil and petrol. Additionally, other factors which led to his resignation
such as lack of support from Congress is also mentioned. Nixon says “I might not have the
support of Congress” which was due to his abuse towards them . An aide of Gerald Ford
said “Nixon could not hide his disdain for Congress and treated some individuals in
Congress very badly”. Furthermore, his constant lying led to loss of support with Republican
Senator Barry Goldwater( who once supported Nixon proclaiming “everybody bugs
everybody else”) saying “Nixon has lied to me… and to a helluva lot others in the Senate
and House. We’re sick to death of it all… Nixon should get his ass out of the white house”
highlighting the loss of republican support which led to his resignation.Nixon was also losing
public support especially when the smoking gun tapes were released in 1972 which showed
his complicity in the cover up. This shows that another reason as to why Nixon resigned was
due to loss of support from Congress and the Republican party. Therefore, the content and
argument are valuable for a historian studying President Nixon’s resignation as it shows the
lack of support Nixon had from Congress and the American public leading to his decision to
resign. Another value of the extract in relation to the question is its provenance. The source
is a televised speech addressed to the entire nation which is valuable as it shows the
culmination of the Watergate scandal; 75% of Americans viewed Nixon as guilty and
Congress began the impeachment process against him highlighting the severity of this
scandal. The speech being produced by Nixon himself is also valuable as it shows his own
views on Watergate and direct reasoning as to why he resigned. The speech reveals his
warped perception of Watergate as he attempts to distance himself from its severe
consequences and attempts to win favour and gain sympathy by focusing on “the interest of
America”. The source was produced on the 8th August 1974 which is less than a month after
the House Judiciary Committee recommended that Nixon be impeached and removed from
office. This is valuable to a historian studying Nixon’s resignation as it implies that the reason
he resigned was because of legal and financial concerns. If Nixon resigned he would receive
a $60,000 presidential pension and $100,000 in staff expenses but if impeached he'd be
“wiped out financially” by legal fees and a $500,000 bill for unpaid taxes. Furthermore, the
House Judiciary Committee promised Nixon that he would face no further charges if he
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