Question

How do you think watergate affected social trends in the 1970s?

Answer 1

The Watergate Scandal was one of the biggest scandals in American politics to this day. It occurred in 1972 and it led to the impeachment process against President Nixon.

The scandal affected social trends heavily because people did not trust the government anymore and this caused the public to reconsider the government’s actions.

At the time, Polls revealed that the percentage of Americans who believed in the truth of government statements fell from 80% to 33%.

Because of that, the US Congress passed a series of reforms to restore the public confidence in government, such as an independent counsel to investigate charges against the White House, the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1974 that limited the amount of money individual could give to candidates.

But on the other side, the Watergate Scandal also showed the public that everyone is under the law, including the US President.

Answer 2

The Watergate scandal was one of the reasons why President Nixon brought down to his power due to the abuses discovered in his administration including the breaking-in of the Democratic National Committee. It was said that the scandal had caused so much impact that people now attached the suffix -gate in other scandals discovered.