Five men were accused of working for President Nixon in attempting to enter the Democratic Party headquarters and steal his presidential campaign funds. This was to prevent him from being impeached. Watergate was finally solved. It had both long-term, and short-term consequences that changed American historical records. Nixon’s actions influenced the perception of American officials. This gave future presidents a poor name and led to distrust in government. Watergate was a scandal that exposed how corrupt American government was. Many Americans agreed to reforms after the Watergate scandal, which severely degraded America’s politics. Many of these Watergate scandal-related effects led many Americans to demand reforms that would prevent the president from abuse of his power, trusting and manipulating among political leaders. It also changed the perception of American politicians.
Many citizens believed that there needed to be reforms after Richard Nixon, the President of the United States, resigned in 1974. Although these laws were implemented by government, corruption still exists every day. Nixon created conflict between other nations during the Vietnam War in the 1970s. Congress saw that Nixon was abusing its power and passed the War Powers Act of 2003. This limited the president’s power to send troops across the Atlantic without Congress’ approval. The Federal Election Campaign Act of 1974 was established by the United States government to limit presidential campaign spending and make all funding public. In the 1950s, a slew of illegal FBI or CIA activities were revealed. This is when corruption among government officials began to be evident. The congress created permanent committees that would monitor various agencies. Many agencies were being corrupted and the government sought to reform them. In 1975, congress passed Hughes-Ryan Amendment. This amendment required that the president consent to secret information being shared with Congress. One temporary effect eventually caused congress and CIA to cease all association. Congress also approved other reforms in an effort to reform America’s political system. The Ethnics in Government Act was created to require disclosure of financial and employment histories for executive and judicial branch officers. These officials were prohibited from moving into the private sector and using their political skills to their advantage. Each accusation must be reported to the Department of Justice head within 90 days to at least three judges. Many citizens began to trust the government’s attempts at total reforms during this time, until Ronald Reagan was elected president. Congress was uncertain about the extension of the Ethnics in Government Act. Reagan signed the act on December 15th to make his “appearance in justice” and enhance his presidency’s reputation. Reagan extended his law and Michael Deaver was arrested. Deaver was a former White House worker. This was significant as Deaver was close to Reagan’s family. It also shows how corrupt the government is. These issues eventually had a profound effect on American citizens. It was especially important because Reagan’s family was close to Deaver. Both the Republican-Democratic parties suffered both short-term effects and long-term consequences. Many politicians used Watergate to their advantage in order to ruin the reputations of Republican politicians during the 1970s. While some Republicans tried to reform some of their issues, the short-term result was that many Democrats continued to oppress Republicans and damage their standing. Samuel J. Erwin, a Democrat, was one of many who attempted to expose Watergate’s conspirators. Erwin investigated John Dead (White House counsel), who admitted to plotting harassment against “enemies” via tax audits, and various other illegal methods, in order to cover Nixon’s Watergate scam scheme. Dean also revealed that the White House had been trying to cover-up their wrongdoing, as was later proven through conversations recorded in the Oval Office. Cox, Erwin and others tried to access the tapes concerning Watergate. Nixon refused. The Supreme Court finally released the tapes due to executive privilege. After Watergate, the Democratic Party became more pro-American citizens. Over 70 new members were elected in Congress to help reform society. A number of congressmen tried to impeach Nixon due to his actions. Nixon decided to resign to protect himself and avoid embarrassment. The mistrust in Nixon’s political system and the broken system it left behind had a lasting effect on future presidential elections. Many Americans voted in 1976, but were reluctant to do so because they didn’t want an honest leader. Jimmy Carter, however, stressed his faith and distain from Washington. Carter used Ford’s failure in fixing the country’s economy to his advantage, winning over blacks, organized labours and whites that had previously voted for Nixon. For a few years the Democratic Party was victorious, but 1980’s election marked a pivotal moment when the Republican party gained control. Reagan used Christianity, like Carter, as a key role in his campaign. The Watergate scandal was a real blow to the Republican Party, but they managed to overcome it and become the dominant party. The government would have learned its lesson from the Watergate scandal if it weren’t for Nixon’s corrupt system and government’s failings.
Watergate created a bad reputation that caused trust to decline. William Safire used suffix gate to refer to all the scandals which had damaged the United States. This was one of America’s most lasting effects. Watergate, Debatagate, and others are examples. Many Nixon associates attempted to hide from the public when the Watergate scandal broke. Washington Post journalists set out to uncover the scandal’s perpetrators and provide the truth to the public. The scandal made civilians feel that Nixon and his successors were abusing power. This made them feel uncomfortable believing anyone in government. Reagan was, for example, behind the Iran Contra Scandal that secretly orchestrated selling arms to Iran or Iraq during his presidency. The Reagan administration was charged with a number of offenses for violating the ban on military assistance to the Contra. This scandal served as a reminder that people cannot trust the political system and was not overthrown.