Nixon Now and Then: Shifting Perceptions

Year 2017, Issue: 47, 11 - 25, 01.10.2017

Nicole L. Anslover

Abstract

This article examines how the global and domestic perceptions of Richard Nixon have evolved between his time in office and 2016. One of the main themes of this study is how the Watergate scandal and Nixon’s resignation impacted the American political scene. Using scholarly works as well as contemporary media sources as a basis for analysis, I argue that Nixon’s legacy is as complicated as his presidency. In the United States, Nixon is still viewed as a political villain who placed a stain on the American political process. However, in other countries, such as China, Nixon is viewed as a tremendously successful president. This study seeks to explain why the global perception of Nixon and his presidency is still so contentious

Keywords

Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Media, Watergate, China

Geçmişte ve Günümüzde Nixon: Değişen Algılar

Abstract

Bu makale, başkanlık döneminden 2016 yılına kadar Amerika’da ve dünyada değişen Richard Nixon algısını incelemektedir. Çalışmanın ana temalarında biri, Watergate Skandalı ve Nixon’ın istifasının Amerikan politik sahnesinde yarattığı etkidir. Akademik çalışmalar ve güncel medya kaynaklarını bu analizin dayanağı olarak kullanan bu çalışma, Nixon’ın siyasi mirasının başkanlık dönemi kadar karmaşık olduğunu savunur. Bugün Amerika Birleşik Devletleri’nde Nixon halen Amerikan’ın politik işleyişine leke sürmüş siyasi bir hain olarak gösterilir. Buna rağmen, Çin gibi başka ülkelerde, son derece başarılı bir başkan olarak görülür. Bu çalışma, küresel düzlemde Nixon algısının ve Nixon’ın başkanlık döneminin neden hala bir tartışma konusu olduğunu açıklamayı amaçlamaktadır

Keywords

Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Medya, Watergate Skandalı, Çin

References

• Ambrose, Stephen E. Nixon: The Triumph of a Politician, 1962-1972. Simon and Schuster, 1989.
• Ayres, B. Drummond, Jr., “The 37th President: Reaction; In Death as in Life Nixon Provokes Strong Passions,” The New York Times, 23 Apr. 1994, www.nytimes.com/1994/04/23/us/the-37thpresident-reaction-in-death-as-in-life-nixon-provokes-strongpassions.html?pagewanted=1. Accessed Jan. 2015.
• Brodie, Fawn N. Richard Nixon: The Shaping of his Character. W.W. Norton and Co, 1981.
• Clinton, Hillary. “Remembering the Nixon Trip and U.S.-China Relations Today,” 7 March 2012, china.usc.edu/ShowArticle. aspx?articleID=2731&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1. Accessed Jan. 2015.
• Clinton, William J. “Remarks at the Funeral Service for President Richard Nixon in Yorba Linda, California,” 27 Apr. 1994. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project. www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=50052. Accessed Jan. 2015.
• Cohen, Michael “Richard Nixon at 100: Not Just Criminal, but Treasonous, Too,” The Guardian,10 Jan. 2013, www.theguardian. com/commentisfree/2013/jan/10/richard-nixon-100-criminaltraitor. Accessed Jan. 2015.
• Condon, Stephanie. “Trust in Government Lowest Since Nixon Era, Poll Shows,” CBS News, 15 Sept. 2014, www.cbsnews.com/ news/trust-in-government-lowest-since-nixon-era-poll-shows/. Accessed Jan. 2015.
• Dallek, Robert. Nixon and Kissinger: Partners in Power. HarperCollins, 2007.
• Dowd, Maureen. “Goodell’s Actions Dishonor his Heritage,” The New York Times, 17 Sept. 2014, www.myrtlebeachonline. com/2014/09/17/4478068/maureen-dowd-goodells-actions. html. Accessed Jan. 2015.
• Flippen, Brooks J. Nixon and the Environment. U of New Mexico P, 2000.
• Frost, David. Oral History Interview by Timothy Naftali, 30 Oct. 2007.
• Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum. www. nixonlibrary.gov/forresearchers/find/histories/Sir_David_Frost. pdf. Accessed 31 July 2017.
• Glaistner, Dan. “Tricky Dicky: Nixon Recordings Confirm Popular View,” The Guardian, 3 Dec. 2008, www.theguardian.com/world/2008/ dec/04/richard-nixon-recordings. Accessed Jan. 2015.
• Gorman, Ken and David Shribman. “The Nixon Pardon at 40: Ford Looks Better Than Ever,” The Wall Street Journal, 5 Sept. 2014, online. wsj.com/articles/ken-gormley-and-david-shribman-the-nixonpardon-at-40-ford-looks-better-than-ever-1409955912. Accessed Jan. 2015.
• Haughey, Patrick. ”Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum,” The Public Historian, vol. 32, no. 4, 2010, pp. 160-68.
• Herbers, John. “After Decade, Nixon is Gaining Favor,” The New York
• Times, August 5, 1984, www.nytimes.com/1984/08/05/us/afterdecade-nixon-is-gaining-favor.html?pagewanted=1. Accessed Jan. 2015.
• Jiechi, Yang. “Remarks to Conference on China-US Relations,” 8 Mar. 2012, www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/wjdt_665385/zyjh_665391/ t912052.shtml. Accessed Jan. 2015.
• Kimball, Jeffrey. Nixon’s Vietnam War. UP of Kansas, 1998.
• Kutler, Stanley I. The Wars of Watergate: The Last Crisis of Richard Nixon. Knopf, 1990.
• Olson, Keith W. Watergate: The Presidential Scandal That Shook America. UP of Kansas, 2003.
• Parmet, Herbert S. Richard Nixon and His America. Little, Brown, 1991.
• Perlstein, Rick. “Watergate’s Most Lasting Sin: Gerald Ford, Richard Nixon, and the Pardon That Made Us All Cynics,” Salon, 8 Sept. 2014, www.salon.com/2014/09/08/watergates_most_lasting_sin_ gerald_ford_richard_nixon_and_the_pardon_that_made_us_all_ cynics/. Accessed Jan. 2015.
• Porter, William E. Assault on the Media: The Nixon Years. U of Michigan P, 1976.
• Schlesinger, Arthur M., Jr. The Imperial Presidency. Houghton Mifflin, 1973.
• T.P.. “Nixon’s Legacy: They Still Love Him in China,” The Economist, 10 Aug. 2014, www.economist.com/blogs/analects/2014/08/nixonslegacy. Accessed Jan. 2015.
• Updegrove, Mark K. Second Acts: Presidential Lives and Legacies after the White House. Lyons Press, 2006.
• White, Theodore H. Breach of Faith: The Fall of Richard Nixon. Atheneum Publishers, 1975.
• Wicker, Tom. One of Us: Richard Nixon and the American Dream. Random House, 1991.
• Yuill, Kevin L. Richard Nixon and the Rise of Affirmative Action: The Pursuit of Racial Equality in an Era of Limits. Rowman & Littlefield, 2006.