Answer to Question #255497 in History for Lara

Question

3. Some believe that Nixon was concerned with his own political future first and the country second. Do you agree? Do you think his own interests had anything to do with his decisions for the country?

4. It is ever O.K. for a politician to use "dirty tricks" to win an election or hurt people who work against him? Why or why not?

5. How might a president's actions after he was president shape his or her legacy? Do Nixon's efforts as statesman — giving advice to new presidents and being involved in world affairs — make up for things he did while in office?

Answer 1

3. Reconciliation was the first goal set by President Richard M. Nixon. This is because the Nation was painfully divided, with turbulence in the cities and war overseas but through his personal interests during his Presidency, Nixon succeeded in ending American fighting in Viet Nam and improving relations with the U.S.S.R. and China.

4. It is not O.K. for a politician to use "dirty tricks" to win an election or hurt people who work against him. This is because the use of dirty tricks mostly leads to separation of people and this separation will in turn lead disunity.  The use of dirty tricks by politicians to win politics undermines trust in the integrity of the elections process.

5.  In his last years, Nixon gained praise as an elder statesman. After his presidency, Nixon's efforts as statesman built his legacy by being so brilliant and so morally lacking. By the time of his death on April 22, 1994, he had written numerous books on his experiences in public life and on foreign policy.