Great Society:

·         Progressive expansion

o   Biggest since New Deal

·         “war on poverty”

·         OEO

o   Network of federal programs to attack poverty and social issues faced by Americans

·         Neighborhood youth corps

o   Work for 2 million young people

o   Low paying jobs, dead end

·         Job corps

o   Gives vocational training for people that need it

o   Manufacturing, welding, etc.

o   Some jobs are obsolete with new technologies coming out

·         VISTA

o   Volunteers in Service to America

o   Domestic version of Peace Corps

o   Community service

·         Community Action Plan (CAP)

o   Urban areas are experiencing plight

§  People are now leaving to go to suburbs

o   Helps people in poor communities to mobilize

§  Give them a voice politically

·         Medicare            

o   Established in 1965

o   Healthcare for elderly

§  Social medicine

·         Expanded social security benefits

·         Look at page 1062

·         ***spending on social welfare jumped***

o   Departure from what other presidents were doing

§  From foreign to domestic

·         Great Society only did a fraction of what it was meant to do

o   Sometimes aid didn’t go to where it belonged

o   Spent too much money  & time on the war

1968:

·         Vietnam war officially becomes unpopular

o   Majority opposes it

·         Tet offensive

o   Lunar new year for Vietnamese

o   Vietcong launch offensive to strike urban areas in South Vietnam

o   US succeeded by…

§  We stopped it convincingly

o   US failed by…

§  Civilian casualties are very high

§  US citizens are against it

§  No advances

§  Credibility gap is shattered

·         Claimed that the war was pretty much over

·         Media shows people in despair, fighting, etc

o   US military asks Congress for more troops

§  They deny

·         1968 election

o   LBJ starts running

§  Doesn’t do well in primaries

§  Decides not to run again

o   Robert Kennedy

§  Appeared to be a strong candidate

§  Progressive

§  Attorney general

§  Against Vietcong

·         Goes against LBJ

§  Assassinated

·         Sirhan Sirhan

o   Eugene McCarthy

§  Popular amongst youth

§  Anti-war

§  Once delegates saw that Robert Kennedy wasn’t there, LBJ gone…

·         Huburt Humphrey

·         Democratic party divided

Nixon Presidency:

·         Southern strategy

o   Democratic party split over Vietnam

§  LBJ takes blame

o   Johnson signs Civil Rights Act of 1964

§  “delivered South to Republicans for a very long time”

o   Sunbelt communities

§  Modern agricultural techniques

§  Southern and Midwestern

o   Richard Nixon doesn’t win the deep south

§  George Wallace wins in 5 states

·         13% of popular votes

o   “just and honorable peace in Asia” –Nixon

§  Wins presidency

o   Henry Kissinger

§  Part of the national security council

§  Wins Nobel Peace Prize

§  Advises Nixon that US needs to look strong

·         Can’t afford a loss in Vietnam

o   “stabilize Vietnam then leave”

§  Majority of Americans feel like it was a mistake to send troops to Vietnam

o   Summer 1969

§  Nixon withdraws 60,000 troops

§  One final attempt to win the war

·         Take it to Cambodia and Laos

o   Cut off supply lines

·         US doesn’t support this

o   Protesting

o   Senate outlaws use of military in Cambodia

§  Doesn’t pass in House of Representatives

§  Nixon can still put his plan into action

o   Advance into Laos was a failure

§  Guerrilla tactics

§  Nixon pulls troops out

o   Nixon sends Kissinger to start a treaty with Vietnam

§  Cease-fire

·         South Vietnam doesn’t want to sign this

·         March 1973

o   US troops leave

o   $150 billion

o   Objective was a failure

·         1975

o   North Vietnamese take over South Vietnam

·         War crimes

o   Murdering civilians

o   Raping and beating civilians

o   Happened more than once

·         American soldiers take bad reputation with them when they come home

o   “baby killers”

·         Nixon & China

o   Détente with China

o   US sees China as a good trader

o   Ease tensions between the USSR and US

o   Pros:

§  Opens up an opportunity

§  Eases Cold War tensions

§  SALT

·         Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty

·         US and USSR moving towards peace

o   Cons:

§  Fighting Communism in Vietnam but keeping peace with Communism in China

§  Double dipping

§  Nationalist Government in Taiwan

·         They rely on us

·         US has less relations with them

·         Watergate

o   Nixon considered imperial president

o   Uses wiretaps and CIA

o   Pentagon Papers

§  “deceiving American public” about operations in Vietnam

o   Nixon tries to bar Pentagon papers from getting to the NY times

§  They do anyway

o   Age of dirty tricks

§  Readddd

o   Committee to Reelect the President