Nixon's New Conservatism

When Richard M. Nixon came into office in 1969, he was determined to turn America to a more conservative direction. He tried to implement order into a society that was still broken up from the Vietnam War. Nixon chose Henry Kissinger to be his special adviser on foreign affairs. They both ended U.S.' involvement in Vietnam.

One of the main items on Nixon's agenda was to decrease the size and influence of the federal government. He thought that Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society programs had given the federal government too much responsibility because it promoted greater federal involvement with social problems. Thus, Nixon came up with New Federalism in which a portion of federal power was distributed to state and local government. This led to revenue sharing in which state and local governments could spend their federal dollars however they saw fit within certain limitations.

Nixon advocated the "Family Assistance Program" in conservative terms. This program would reduce the role of the federal government and make welfare recipients responsible for their own lives. However, this was rejected by the Senate.

Nixon's New Federalism enhanced many federal programs, but it also destroyed other programs such as Job Corps, which provided job traininng for the unemployed. In 1970, Nixon vetoed a bill to provide additional funding for Housing and Urban Development. Nixon also turned to impoundment; he withheld necessary funds for programs, which held up their implementation. In 1973, Nixon had impounded almost $15 billion. This affected more than 100 federal programs, including those for health, housing, and education. But, federal courts ordered the release of these impounded funds.

When Nixon was elected, he promised to end the war in Vietnam and mend the relations within America that the war had created. Nixon decreased America's involvement in Vietnam and began peace negotiations with North Vietnam. Nixon began "law and order" policies which led to the Watergate scandal.