CULTURAL REVOLUTION AND
THE NIXON YEARS
A.P. U.S. History
Mr. Krueger
COUNTER CULTURE

SDS – Students for a democratic society
Met in Port Huron under the leadership of Al Haber
and Tom Hayden
 Goal – transform their student protest group into a
vehicle to rid society of poverty, racism and violence


½ of society was under the age of 30 and ready for
the counter culture.

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Social Change through democracy, Salvation through
individualism.
SDS spurred on by the Vietnam War, grew by the
thousands
Older Americans felt the traditional values and
ethics were under attack by the youth
Drug experimentations
 Sex
 Rock and Roll

REBELS

The 1st sign of student rebellion (1964) – University
of California at Berkeley
Student free speech movement – occupied an
administration building – block arrest of non student
protester
 The cause of campus unrest was the older generations
view of affluence as the answer to problems

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Higher education was a servant of corporate
culture


Trained many technicians, harbored research labs
which perfected dangerous weapons, regulated
students with IBM punch cards
Students addressed three evils:
Racism
 Poverty
 War

LBJ TORMENT

The cause went from Civil Rights to Vietnam
Began at the University of Michigan 1965 and spread
 20,000 protesters gathered at D.C. to anti-war songs

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One of the greatest ironies in Vietnam were the draft
deferments
Those in college could avoid the draft – upper class could avoid
war.
 African Americans and Hispanic Americans most likely to be
drafted.

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Protests increased with escalation
“Hey, hey LBJ, how many kids have you killed today?”
 1967 100,000 demonstrators gather outside the Pentagon
 Climax in spring of 1968 – SDS and African Americans seized
buildings and paralyzed Colombia University (NY)


Students failed to stop the war, but gained a voice in
education and transformed American morals and culture
CULTURAL REVOLUTION

The cultural rebellion by youth in the 60’s was
pervasive and led by college students that
challenged adult values on:
Clothing, Hairstyles, Sexual Conduct, Work Habits,
Music
 Families gave way for communes for flower children


Music was infused with social protest
Beatles and Grateful Dead
 Woodstock (Bethel, NY)– 3 day festival of rock, drugs,
and public sexual activity


Former Harvard Univ. Prof. Tim Leary encouraged
drug experimentation for youth
“Tune in, turn on, drop out.”
 Marijuana and LSD


Hippie movement was led by Jerry Rubin and Abbie
Hoffman – capitalized on the mood of social protest
BLACK POWER

Wanted economic equality in the north
Riots in the mid to late 60’s
 A change was observed when black militants took over leadership –
SNCC leader Stokely Carmichael
 reversed MLKs nonviolent approach – promoted that southern whites
should seize power while they had numbers


Other leaders
H. Rap Brown – said to gather guns and burn the town of Cambridge,
Maryland
 Huey Newton – Black Panther Leader “Political Power comes
through the barrel of a gun.”


MLK suffered most from this approach – alienated by the NAACP
Before King could lead his Poor March on Washington – he was
assassinated
 Led to an outbreak of riots in 125 cities – worst was in D.C.


Positive side – leaders urged blacks to take pride in heritage
Afro Hairstyles, Dress in dashikis, Stress African Roots, Black
Student programs
 “Negro” term disappeared and was replaced by “black” and “African
American”
 James Brown: Say it loud, I’m black and I’m proud

DISCUSSION
What were other ethnic groups and women
doing?
 What was a woman’s role in the home? How did
the Feminine Mystique challenge this?
 Who are:

Betty Freidan
 Ti-Grace Atkinson
 Susan Brownmiller

THE RETURN OF RICHARD NIXON

Democratic Divide:

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Kennedy was assassinated by Sirhan Sirhan
Chicago Democratic Convention marred by violence –
Humphrey gains the ticket
Nixon runs for the Republicans with Spiro T. Agnew

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Wide lead because of discontent with the war
Promised to bring a divided nation back together
Humphrey was hounded by antiwar demonstrators

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Eugene McCarthy (MN)
Robert Kennedy (NY)
Hubert Humphrey (VP)
George Wallace further splits the Democrats “Segregation now,
Segregation tomorrow, Segregation Forever!” runs for president.
Would come in 3rd at the polls.
Nixon won by the smallest share of the popular vote since
1916. Clear win with the electoral vote.
The combined popular vote of Nixon and Wallace showed people
were fed up with violence
 Concerns over drugs, rock, sex and long hair led to a Republican
President

PRESIDENT NIXON

Seemed to be a new Nixon –
restrained and moderate, but underneath he remained
bitter, hurt, and sensitive.
 Was shy, wanted to enjoy the power in solitude
 Assembled a powerful staff – purpose was to isolate RN
from Congress, his cabinet, and the press
 He turned Domestic Policy over to H.R. Haldeman and
John Ehrlichman.

Foreign Policy was RN specialty. Relied on Henry
Kissinger (Nat. Sec. Advisor)
 The RN Whitehouse was like a fortress under
siege, and RN cut himself from the public and set
up his own downfall

NIXON’S PROMISES

RN was successful in shifting social problems to state
and local governments.
Introduced revenue sharing. Congress approved
Decided to shift Civil Rights to the court system – led to the
termination of segregated schools. Puts blame on the courts in
the south, not RN.
 Appointed moderates to the courts which upheld the legality of
desegregation.

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Supreme Court moderation and the legislature record of
RN indicated the nation was not ready to abandon 1960’s
reforms

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Change in Civil Rights slowed
Commitment to social justice was clear
Nixonomics
His challenge was the economy – inherited LBJ growing
inflation. LBJ waged the Vietnam War without increasing
taxes.
 Nixon wanted to decrease government spending and raise
interest tax
 Result – disaster! Inflation increased, economy went into
recession, unemployment rose, businesses failed.
 Solution – 90 freeze on prices and wages, devaluation of the
dollar along with a 10% surtax on imports to balance trade.

NIXON’S POLITICS

RN unleashed Agnew on social issues – he blamed
drugs, sex, and crime on Democratic Liberals.
Democrats struck back – blamed republicans for
inflation and recession
 Democrats join with others against crime, drugs, and
pornography


RN top priority was foreign policy
Grand Plan – saw Vietnam War problems, and Soviet
arms buildup
 Solution – U.S. trade(grain, high tech.) to induce Soviet
cooperation and improve Chinese relations
 They used China to reach détente with the Soviets


1972 – RN tours China and Moscow
Establishes American Liaisons in Beijing
 Creates SALT: Strategic Arms Limitation Talks – 1st
step towards nuclear arms control

ENDING VIETNAM WAR

RN could not solve the problems in Vietnam.
Created a 3 part plan:
Renewed Bombing
 Hard-line negotiations against Hanoi
 Gradual Withdrawal


The plan involved Vietnaminization – train S.
Vietnam to gradually take over.
1964 – 543,000 troops
 1972 – less than 30,000
 Renewed Bombing was the most controversial part of
the plan – strikes in Cambodia caused major campus
protests.

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Protests broke out in over 400 campuses


Kent state fire bombings – 4 students killed, 11 wounded
by National Guard. Riots at Jackson State – 2 African
American students killed.
RN called the protesters “bums” who wanted to blow up
the campus. Polls taken blame students.
NEGOTIATIONS WITH HANOI

3rd tactic proved successful
Kissinger held secret meetings in N. Vietnam
 1972 – both sides near an agreement – then S.
Vietnam blocked a settlement


When Hanoi tried to make changes, RN
ordered B-52 bombing raids on the capital –
this brought a truce – the Paris Peace
Accords (1973)
In return for the release of U.S. prisoners, the
U.S. would leave S. Vietnam in 60 days.
 Leads to the fall of Saigon – N. Vietnam could
keep troops in S. Vietnam

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After 8 years, the U.S. abandons SE Asia.
NIXON…CORRUPT…?

RN’s distrust led to a series of underhanded and illegal
activities.
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Ordered bombings of Cambodia without consent of Congress
Paris Peace Accords never ratified by the U.S. Senate
Placed wiretaps on the phones of reporters and staff members
J. Edgar Hoover guarded against rivals by blocking a scheme of a
White House aide to engage in extensive electronic eavesdropping
and burglary
The NY Times and Washington Post began to publish the
Pentagon Papers (classified defense dept. documents on
the Vietnam War)
RN took drastic measures to stop leaks – created the “plumbers”
G. Gordon Liddy and E. Howard Hunt were the directors –
preserve secrecy, discredit those who kept the press informed
 Created and “enemy list” of prominent Americans

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Went to extreme lengths to be re-elected
CREEP – Committee to re-elected the President
Plan to spy on the competition and bug the Democratic National
Headquarters in the Watergate Complex
 June 17 – James McCord and 4 others were caught by police
during a break in at the Watergate


AFTERMATH

Due to republican dirty tricks the democrats
self-destruct
Edmund Muskie lost composure
George Wallace was shot and paralyzed by Arthur
Bremer
 George McGovern emerged as the democratic
Nominee

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Democratic Platform – extremist

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Negotiated Settlement in Vietnam
Right to Abortion
Tolerance for different lifestyle
RN let extremist view become the campaign
issue – won by a landslide victory and 60.8% of
the popular vote

Democrats controlled congress, but GOP made gains
in the Sunbelt
WATERGATE

Did Nixon know?

What happened?

Cover-up? Who was involved?

What brought RN down?

What ended Watergate?
U.S. ECONOMY
Cheap oil was key after WWII for U.S.
expansion
 October War – Egypt and Syria attack Israel

U.S. as mediator and supporter of Israel.
 OPEC announced a cut in oil production until
Israel surrendered the acquired land. Cut U.S.
off from oil.
 RN closed gas stations on the weekends, 50mph
cap on speed limits, lowering of thermostats.
 Kissinger negotiated a deal in the ME – but
proves U.S. needs other countries.


Oil Crisis continues under Ford
FORD

What was he like, how did he get into office?

Nixon?

Oil Crisis?

Tax Cuts?

Economy/inflation problems, Energy Policy?

What was his relationship to the CIA?
CARTER

What was he like?

Economic recovery?

Energy Policy?

Inflation problems?

Camp David Accords?

Trouble with Iran?
Ayatollah Khomeini
 Hostage Crisis

REAGAN
BUSH SR.
CLINTON
BUSH JR.
OBAMA