Why was the Watergate Scandal the biggest scandal that Richard Nixon committed? What was the impact on everybody and how did it change the world?

While there were other scandals involving Nixon, such as the one when he ran as vice president to Eisenhower, which involved reports of the use of a personal slush fund, Watergate was far more serious because he was the president of the United States when he helped cover up the crimes of the Watergate break-in. His involvement eventually led to his resignation in August 1974. This event was so significant because he was the only American president to resign from office. Also, the use of the impeachment process, which would have been inevitable if he didn’t resign, is one that has only been used twice for a sitting president in the United States. While Nixon was able to escape the scandal involving the personal slush fund by explaining that he got a dog as a gift for his daughter (see first link below), he was not able to escape the events of the Watergate scandal.
The Watergate scandal impacted people in many ways. As a result of the Vietnam War, a distrust of the government already existed in the United States. Since Nixon and his team initially publicly dismissed the break-in at Watergate as a minor burglary that had no White House involvement, more people began to believe that they couldn’t trust what government officials were telling them. In many ways, this distrust continues to exist today. Some Americans were deeply hurt as they tried to come to grips that they couldn’t always believe what they were hearing from their government officials. This was a far cry from the days of FDR when people listened intently to his fireside chats.
This event had an impact on the world, especially in countries where leaders were elected and people had basic freedoms. It showed that government leaders weren’t above the law and could be held accountable if they broke the law. It also made people question if what they were hearing from their government leaders was true or not. People began to feel that they needed to ask questions of their leaders to get the details regarding events that concerned them. People also believed that they needed to protest government actions with which they disagreed.

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