The presidencies of Richard Nixon and Jimmy Carter had a profound impact on American politics and society. While Carter and Nixon were from different political parties (Carter being a Democrat and Nixon being a Republican), they shared a commonality in addressing the major issues of their time, such as war, foreign policy/affairs, and civil rights.
Richard Nixon served as President of the United States from 1969 to 1974. Nixon’s strengths were found in the roles of Commander in Chief, Chief of State, and Chief Legislature. He was controversial to some and oversaw a distressing time in American history, including the Vietnam War (Commander in Chief), the Watergate scandal, and the oil embargo (Chief Legislature). Nixon was known for his strict conservative views and efforts to improve relations with China and the Soviet Union.
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He was known for his commitment to human rights, his focus on energy conservation, and his efforts to negotiate with the Middle East He had many strengths including: Chief of State, Chief Diplomat, and Chief Legislator. Carter was also an advocate for civil rights and worked to address racial and gender inequality (Chief of State). He inherited a struggling economy when he took office, with high inflation and unemployment rates. He implemented a number of policies to try and reduce inflation, such as the creation of the Department of Energy (Chief Legislator). Carter's foreign policy initiatives included the Camp David Accords (Chief Diplomat), which resulted in a peace treaty between Israel and Egypt, and the establishment of diplomatic relations with China. One of the major challenges of Carter's presidency was the Iran hostage crisis, in which 52 American diplomats were held hostage for 444 days. Carter tried to negotiate a release, but was unsuccessful, and most believe that this heavily contributed to his defeat in the next