Need help marking my 16 marker for history!
'The main impact of the Watergate scandal was a lack of trust in politicians and government.'
How far do you agree? Explain your answer.
You may use the following in your answer:
• Lack of trust in politicians and government
• New laws, including the Election Campaign Act (1974)
You must also use information of your own. (16 marks)
The Watergate scandal was arguably the largest political scandals in US history, and due to its significance it has led to many major impacts. I agree with the fact that the main impact of the Watergate scandal was the lack of trust in politicians and the government, as I believe that this impact was the most long-lasting and its ideals are still prominent today. However, there were also several other impacts of the Watergate Scandal in the USA, such as the establishment of new laws for government transparency, and the image of the Republican Party immediately after the scandal.
Firstly, I believe that the largest impact of the Watergate scandal is the beginning of distrust in the US political system. The public and nationwide scepticism and paranoia of their government stemmed from the scandal, and specifically events in the scandal such as Nixon's establishment and use of the White House Plumbers. The fact that Nixon set up a group of agents specifically targeted to find information to use against their opponents was strictly illegal and went against law - alongside other events such as Nixon secretly using CREEP's funds to support illegal investigations such as the Watergate break-in, and the reveal of Nixon's tapes that he had installed for several years already before being found guilty. These events specifically led to public distrust in the government due to the astonishment of the fact that illegal crimes were being committed by White House officials. This led to a turning point in America, as people held high moral standards and regards for their president, a figure which represented and held so much power over a country. Essentially this was the largest impact of the scandal because it gave rise to ideals and scepticism in politicians even today, and the distrust in the entirety of the political system in the USA has essentially rooted from the Watergate scandal, giving rise to government opposition and the amount of people that started opposing to the 'system'.
Another impact of the Watergate scandal was the establishment of new laws and reforms after Nixon's resignation. For example, the Privacy Act in 1974 set the limits on government collection of information about individuals, and the Freedom of Information Act was strengthened to allow American citizens to inspect government files held on them. Several other acts were also passed to increase government transparency and accountability, such as the Election Campaign act and Congressional Budget Control Act which limited the amount of money parties could raise for elections (as a result of Nixon's use of the CREEP). This attempt to regulate government behaviour was so immediate and the large amount of reforms made showed Americans how large the scandal really was and that government ethics in the USA needed to be strengthened. However, although this was a large and immediate impact, it essentially stemmed from the lack of distrust in the US government system.
Lastly, another impact of the Watergate scandal was the damage to the Republican Party regarding the following years of the scandal as it was the lasting effects of Nixon's actions. This showed that Nixon was such an important figure and was representative of the Republican Party, so the scandal impacted the Republicans immensely. Specifically, the party's performance at the 1974 Senate and House elections were affected by public disgust and lack of trust, leading the Democratic party to overtake them because Americans were still in shock of Nixon's actions. This also led to Ford's defeat to Democrat Jimmy Carter in the presidential election of 1976. However, whilst this did impact the Republican Party significantly it was rather short-term and the US returned to becoming a Republican state only 6 years after Nixon's resignation, showing that the impact dissolved effectively.
In conclusion, although the other impacts of the scandal such as the new reforms to increase government transparency and the damage to the image of the Republican Party, these impacts were not comparable to the lack of distrust in the US government. The new laws set up immediately after Nixon's scandal were quick and representative of how large the issue was, and the poor performance of the Republican party in the next elections were significant, but all of these impacts essentially stemmed from the distrust in politicians and the entirety of the US government system. Therefore, the lack of trust in the US political system was the largest impact because it is the most long-lasting with ideals of government opposition still present and related to the scandal today, and that it is the root of all the other impacts of the scandal.
How far do you agree? Explain your answer.
You may use the following in your answer:
• Lack of trust in politicians and government
• New laws, including the Election Campaign Act (1974)
You must also use information of your own. (16 marks)
The Watergate scandal was arguably the largest political scandals in US history, and due to its significance it has led to many major impacts. I agree with the fact that the main impact of the Watergate scandal was the lack of trust in politicians and the government, as I believe that this impact was the most long-lasting and its ideals are still prominent today. However, there were also several other impacts of the Watergate Scandal in the USA, such as the establishment of new laws for government transparency, and the image of the Republican Party immediately after the scandal.
Firstly, I believe that the largest impact of the Watergate scandal is the beginning of distrust in the US political system. The public and nationwide scepticism and paranoia of their government stemmed from the scandal, and specifically events in the scandal such as Nixon's establishment and use of the White House Plumbers. The fact that Nixon set up a group of agents specifically targeted to find information to use against their opponents was strictly illegal and went against law - alongside other events such as Nixon secretly using CREEP's funds to support illegal investigations such as the Watergate break-in, and the reveal of Nixon's tapes that he had installed for several years already before being found guilty. These events specifically led to public distrust in the government due to the astonishment of the fact that illegal crimes were being committed by White House officials. This led to a turning point in America, as people held high moral standards and regards for their president, a figure which represented and held so much power over a country. Essentially this was the largest impact of the scandal because it gave rise to ideals and scepticism in politicians even today, and the distrust in the entirety of the political system in the USA has essentially rooted from the Watergate scandal, giving rise to government opposition and the amount of people that started opposing to the 'system'.
Another impact of the Watergate scandal was the establishment of new laws and reforms after Nixon's resignation. For example, the Privacy Act in 1974 set the limits on government collection of information about individuals, and the Freedom of Information Act was strengthened to allow American citizens to inspect government files held on them. Several other acts were also passed to increase government transparency and accountability, such as the Election Campaign act and Congressional Budget Control Act which limited the amount of money parties could raise for elections (as a result of Nixon's use of the CREEP). This attempt to regulate government behaviour was so immediate and the large amount of reforms made showed Americans how large the scandal really was and that government ethics in the USA needed to be strengthened. However, although this was a large and immediate impact, it essentially stemmed from the lack of distrust in the US government system.
Lastly, another impact of the Watergate scandal was the damage to the Republican Party regarding the following years of the scandal as it was the lasting effects of Nixon's actions. This showed that Nixon was such an important figure and was representative of the Republican Party, so the scandal impacted the Republicans immensely. Specifically, the party's performance at the 1974 Senate and House elections were affected by public disgust and lack of trust, leading the Democratic party to overtake them because Americans were still in shock of Nixon's actions. This also led to Ford's defeat to Democrat Jimmy Carter in the presidential election of 1976. However, whilst this did impact the Republican Party significantly it was rather short-term and the US returned to becoming a Republican state only 6 years after Nixon's resignation, showing that the impact dissolved effectively.
In conclusion, although the other impacts of the scandal such as the new reforms to increase government transparency and the damage to the image of the Republican Party, these impacts were not comparable to the lack of distrust in the US government. The new laws set up immediately after Nixon's scandal were quick and representative of how large the issue was, and the poor performance of the Republican party in the next elections were significant, but all of these impacts essentially stemmed from the distrust in politicians and the entirety of the US government system. Therefore, the lack of trust in the US political system was the largest impact because it is the most long-lasting with ideals of government opposition still present and related to the scandal today, and that it is the root of all the other impacts of the scandal.
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