REMEMBERING WATERGATE
The 50th anniversary of Watergate is an apt moment to re ect on the origins and consequences of the greatest political scandal in modern American history, as well as on the presidency of Richard Nixon. ere are di erent ways to characterise Watergate. It can be viewed as the inevitable culmination of the emergence of the “imperial presidency” – an institution that had become increasingly and dangerously powerful in preceding decades.
Or, Watergate can be seen more as the result of Nixon’s own insecure, brooding character (despite his considerable intelligence and ability) and ferociously combative political style.
Whatever the fundamental causes of Watergate, its impact was profound, and it shaped the political landscape in the years that followed.
As for the man himself, as controversial and polarising as he was, he became the dominant politician in the quarter-century of American history from 1950 to 1975. It is remarkable that he was on the ticket of every single presidential election in that period, apart from 1964, as either the Republican presidential or vice-presidential candidate. His presidency was striking for not only Watergate but many bold initiatives, not least opening up relations with communist China.
“Nixon had tasted defeat and resolved it would never happen again; in the end it destroyed him”