Watergate and the Resignation of Richard Nixon: Impact of a Constitutional Crisis

Thirty years have passed since President Nixon′s resignation, yet, the impact of the "Watergate" scandal continues to affect the institutional power of the American chief executive. Through documents and analytical essays, this timely collection places the Watergate crisis in perspective, providing a cogent and balanced analysis of the development and consequences of an event that has overshadowed Nixon′s legacy and permanently altered the country′s perceptions of politics. Watergate threatened the very constitutional order of the nation, and continues to this day to affect the public′s attitudes about the presidency, America′s political culture, the mass media′s coverage of politics, the separation of powers, and the investigation of high-level misconduct in the federal government.

Twelve topical essays written by presidential scholars cover these themes and examine the impact of the crisis over time. Primary source materials, including transcripts from oral interviews, Nixon′s speeches, letters, the infamous Watergate tapes, excerpts from testimony and hearings in Congress, the proposed articles of impeachment, and more are all put in context with explanatory headnotes.

Watergate and the Resignation of Richard Nixon will explain:

• How public opinion and attitudes about politics changed after Watergate
• How the balance of power between the three branches of government has been altered by the crisis
• How succeeding presidents have been affected by the legacy of Watergate
• Why mass media coverage of politics changed after Watergate
• What impact the crisis had on America′s relations with the rest of the world.