We explain what the Watergate case was and what were its consequences. In addition, Richard Nixon's resignation to the presidency of the United States.
What was the case Watergate?
The Watergate case was a political scandal The revelation of illegal activities by the Republican Administration of Richard Nixon President of the United States between 1969 and 1974.
The scandal began during the 1972 election campaign, when Five men were arrested for entering the Washington Watergate Hotel to spy on the National Democratic Committee That was headquarters there. The case continued with the attempted cover -up by people close to the president.
In 1974 it was demonstrated that Nixon had been involved in cover -up . The president was on the edge of Impeachment (political trial for its dismissal) and decided to resign on August 9, 1974.
He became the first US president to resign his position. A month later, President Gerald Ford pardoned him.
Key points
- The Watergate case was a political scandal that involved Richard Nixon's government in the United States between 1972 and 1974.
- He began with the arrest of five men who illegally raid the headquarters of the Democratic Party at the Washington Watergate Hotel. The investigations showed that they were part of a spy plot that involved the Nixon government.
- The tapes recovered during the investigation revealed that Nixon had helped cover the case. About to be subject to Impeachment (Political trial for its dismissal), resigned from the president in August 1974.
The historical context
Richard Nixon, belonging to the Republican Party he was defeated in the 1960 presidential elections in front of the Democrat John Fitzgerald Kennedy but reached the presidency of the United States in January 1969. He had previously been Vice President of Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-1961).
In November 1972 He was re -elected to initiate his second term as president in January 1973 . However, during the presidential campaign there had been a fact that led to an investigation into the involvement of officials or collaborators of the Nixon government. This fact was made public and was known as a Watergate scandal or case.
The consequences of the Watergate case
The Watergate case began with the arrest, in June 1972, of Five men that They had entered illegally In the National Democratic Committee at the Watergate Hotel, in Washington DC, With the intention of intervening telephones and perform espionage tasks.
After multiple judicial actions, The involvement of the Nixon administration became increasingly evident . On April 30, 1973, Nixon partially accepted the government's responsibility and dismissed several officials involved.
The existence of magnetophonic tapes that incriminated the president and his refusal to make them available to justice led to a hard confrontation between the Executive Power and the Judiciary. Public opinion finally forced the delivery of those tapes, but one was altered and two others disappeared.
The role of the media was important through the investigations of Two journalists of Washington Post Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, which They received leaks from an anonymous informant known as “deep throat” (Deep Throat). The identity of this informant, who was deputy director of the FBI in those years, was known only in 2005.
Growing evidence on the guilt of Nixon and senior US officials led to the procedures of the Impeachment (political trial to the president who could lead to his dismissal). In August 1974 Nixon had to deliver transcripts of three magnetophonic tapes that involved him in the cover -up of the scandal . This evidence made Nixon lose his last support in Congress.
On August 8, 1974, Nixon communicated his resignation on television to the position of President on the argument that he had lost the political base necessary to govern. He left the White House the next day.
His vice president, Gerald Ford, agreed to the presidency and, just a month later, on September 8, 1974, granted an unconditional pardon to Nixon.
References
- Britannica, Encyclopaedia (2023). Richard Nixon. Britannica Encyclopedia. https://www.britannica.com/
- Farrell, Ja (2018). Richard Nixon: The Life. Vintage Books.
- Jenkins, P. (2019). Brief history of the United States. 5th. edition. Alliance.
- Perlstein, R. (2023). Watergate Scandal. Britannica Encyclopedia. https://www.britannica.com/
