Evaluate Richard Nixon's presidency. Aside from Watergate, should he be considered a good president?

 

Richard M. Nixon focused mainly on foreign affairs. He considered himself a pragmatic politician who advanced the national interest rather than theoretical or ethical goals. He promoted a grant design to check Soviet expansion and to limit the nuclear arms race. He planned to move the United States out of Vietnam and into an era of dètente-an easing of tension with the communist world.

To manage diplomacy, president Nixon chose Henry Kissinger a refugee from Hitler's German and a Harvard professor of international relations who shared Nixon's desire to concentrate decision making power in the White House.

Nixon Doctrine

The Nixon-Kissinger grant design meant ending the Vietnam war.In August 1969, the president unveiled what became known as the Nixon Doctrine, in which he redefined the United States role in the third world as that of a helpful partner rather than a military protector. In the future, Asian nations facing communist subversion could count on American financial and moral support but they would have to defend themselves.

On October 26th 1972, Kissinger announced a peace treaty with Vietnamese which provided for the withdrawal of American troops, return of US prisoners of war and Vietnamese troops remaining in South Vietnam.

A troubled economy

Nixon inherited the dire fiscal consequences of Lyndon B Johnson's efforts to wage the Vietnamese war and finance the great society. President Nixon had a large fiscal deficit of $25 billion and an inflation rate of 5%.

Law and order

Despite his public appeals for order, Nixon intensified social tension when he appealed to Southern whites, Northern ethnics, blue-collar workers and some suburban-ites during his campaign.

The watergate coverup

Nixon's scheme to conceal links between White House and the accused watergate burglar would lead to his downfall.

From the above account, president Nixon can be considered as a good president because of his achievements at home and foreign affairs. He restored the economy, made Americans proud by signing SALT and the Nixon Doctrine.These were not mean achievements. The watergate scandal was just but a blot on president Nixon's face. Furthermore, Nixon demonstrated statesmanship by resigning after watergate scandal was exposed.In a nutshell, he was a very good president.