Watergate

The reasons for Watergate have been open to opinion since Nixon made his terrible blunder. I believe the reasons for it were a combination of what many historians believe. It was a result of the growing imperial presidency in the cold war and the deadly political environment of the 1960s and 1970s. He did not have the confidence or political ability to overcome the outside pressures in this time of chaos.

The Vietnam War

The United States became involved in the Vietnam War for many reasons. Some of the policy makers of the time believed American involvement was necessary because if South Vietnam fell to communism, it was possible that all of Asia would. Critics can say the war was part of a U.S. imperialistic plan or that it was for economic interests in the region, but this has little evidence to support it. I believe the involvement in the war was from a lack of foresight and political fear from the 1960s policy makers. If I were president at the time I would not want to see an important country in Asia fall to communism under my term, considering the hostility and stakes of the Cold War.

The Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb

President Truman’s decision to drop atomic bombs on Japan was and continues to spark emotional debate. There is no question that Truman believed he was doing what was best for the American people, whether it be saving American lives or intimidating Russia to hopefully spur possible future conflicts. But was it necessary or right? With hindsight people can say that it was not necessary and unrightfully killed thousands of innocent Japanese. I believe this is true but also think that at the time this was the simplest, most benefiting solution in Truman’s mind. In the short term it ended the war and kept Russia on its heels, but in the long term it created a nuclear arms race and ensured many lives to be lost in future wars. This is why I believe that Truman’s decision was the easiest one at the time, but he had no idea of its possible consequences