This thesis comprehends a plan for a Guaranteed Annual Income policy designed by the Nixon administration in 1969 and debated at the beginning of the 70's. This Family Assistance Plan was a very...Show moreThis thesis comprehends a plan for a Guaranteed Annual Income policy designed by the Nixon administration in 1969 and debated at the beginning of the 70's. This Family Assistance Plan was a very revolutionary idea for welfare in the US. The thesis focusses on debates within the House of Representatives and the Senate that comprehends the concepts of race, gender and the idea of the undeserving poor. It also takes into account large scale social experiments that have been conducted of this theme.Show less
This thesis uses the Just World Hypothesis and theories of charismatic leadership in order to explore the similarities and differences in the electoral campaigns of Richard Nixon in 1968 and Donald...Show moreThis thesis uses the Just World Hypothesis and theories of charismatic leadership in order to explore the similarities and differences in the electoral campaigns of Richard Nixon in 1968 and Donald Trump in 2016, focusing especially on the self-made man narrative, the use of media and the use of scapegoats.Show less
This thesis discusses the Argentine Dirty War of 1974-1983 and the role Henry Kissinger played in encouraging the military junta of 'El Proceso,' emphasizing the context of US foreign affairs in...Show moreThis thesis discusses the Argentine Dirty War of 1974-1983 and the role Henry Kissinger played in encouraging the military junta of 'El Proceso,' emphasizing the context of US foreign affairs in Latin America during the Cold War and the change in foreign policies under Carter with the introduction of human rights.Show less
This MA thesis discusses the depiction of President Nixon and the Watergate Affair in various works of popular culture. During the Watergate Affair Nixon committed various crimes, such as the...Show moreThis MA thesis discusses the depiction of President Nixon and the Watergate Affair in various works of popular culture. During the Watergate Affair Nixon committed various crimes, such as the obstruction of justice and the abuse of power. He resigned on August 9 1974, the only American President ever to have done so. His successor, President Ford, pardoned him for these crimes. Nixon has never been convicted for them, to the dismay of many Americans. By now Nixon has become a controversial figure in American history. He is and will be always be remembered for the Watergate Affair. He also dragged out the American involvement in Vietnam for several years, resulting in massive anti-war protests and outpourings of great hatred against him. However, Nixon was also the American President who succeeded in achieving a détente with the Soviet Union, normalising relations with China and initiating the first SALT-treaty to limit nuclear arms. Moreover, he bettered the plight of Native Americans and steered through Congress important environmental legislation. Nixon, whose fate was essentially a tragic one, has inspired writers, poets, playwrights, directors and musicians to produce very interesting works of art. Philip Roth wrote ‘Our Gang’, a political satire depicting Nixon, amongst other things, as chief devil. Gore Vidal wrote a play about him, ‘An Evening with Richard Nixon’, as well as the historical novel ‘Burr’ about Aaron Burr, another villain in American history, which displays interesting parallels with Nixon and his time. The film ‘All the President’s Men’ is by far the most well-known work discussed in this thesis, dealing with the two young reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein of the ‘Washington Post’, who played an important role in uncovering the affair. Robert Altman’s ‘Secret Honor’ and Oliver Stone’s ‘Nixon’ not only portray Nixon, but also examine his cultural significance. The same is true for ‘The Assassination of Richard Nixon’, in which Nixon is not an actual character, but the figurehead of a sick and dishonest society. Ron Howard’s ‘Frost/Nixon’, the most recent work discussed in this thesis, paints a more positive and humane picture of Nixon. This is in accordance with a general tendency, within works of popular culture, to depict Nixon with much more depth, with more attention to Nixon as a human-being, and in a more balanced and positive way.Show less
