Why Is Watergate Historically Relevant?

Question

Please elaborate.

Answer 1

"The effect on the upcoming Senate election and House race only three months later, was enormous; voters, disgusted by Nixon's actions, became thoroughly disillusioned with the Republican Party. In that Election, the Democrats gained five seats in the Senate and a remarkable 49 in the House. (See: Watergate babies)"

"Indirectly, Watergate was the cause of new laws leading to extensive changes in campaign financing. It was a major factor in the passage of amendments to the Freedom of Information Act in 1986, as well as laws requiring new financial disclosures by key government officials."

"While not legally required, other types of personal disclosure, such as releasing recent income tax forms, became expected. Presidents since Franklin D. Roosevelt had recorded many of their conversations, but after Watergate this practice purportedly ended."

"Watergate led to a new era in which the mass media became far more aggressive in reporting on the activities of politicians. For instance, Wilbur Mills, a powerful congressman, was in a drunken driving accident. The incident, similar to others which the press had previously never mentioned, was reported, and Mills soon had to resign from his position as the chairman of the United States House Committee on Ways and Means. In addition to reporters becoming more aggressive in revealing the personal conduct of key politicians, they also became far more cynical in reporting on political issues. A new generation of journalists, emboldened by the success of Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, embraced investigative reporting and sought to uncover new scandals in the increasing amounts of financial information being released about politicians and their campaigns."

"Since Nixon and many senior officials involved in Watergate were lawyers, the scandal severely tarnished the public image of the legal profession.[4] In order to defuse public demand for direct federal regulation of lawyers (as opposed to leaving it in the hands of state bar associations or supreme courts), the American Bar Association (ABA) launched two major reforms. First, the ABA decided that its existing Model Code of Professional Responsibility (promulgated 1969) was a failure, and replaced it with the Model Rules of Professional Conduct in 1983. The MRPC has been adopted in part or in whole by 44 states. Its preamble contains an emphatic reminder to young lawyers that the legal profession can remain self-governing only if lawyers behave properly. Second, the ABA promulgated a requirement that law students at ABA-approved law schools take a course in professional responsibility (which means they must study the MRPC). The requirement remains in effect." [This aspect of Watergate is the cause of all the lawyer jokes we have now today. EVT]

"The Watergate scandal left such an impression on the national and international consciousness that many scandals since then have been labeled with the suffix "-gate" — such as Koreagate, Contragate/Iran-gate, Whitewatergate, Travelgate, Fornigate/Monicagate/Zippergate, Filegate, and Memogate/Rathergate in the US, Tunagate in Canada, Dianagate/Squidgygate and Thatchergate in the UK, and even Pemexgate and Godzillagate in Hungary, Toallagate in Mexico, Kazakhgate in Kazakhstan, Narcogate in Argentina, and Iraq-gate in Finland. Moreover, the judging scandal in the pairs event at the 2002 Winter Olympics in which a controversial double-gold medal was awarded to Russians Yelena Berezhnaya & Anton Sikharulidze and Canadians Jamie Salé & David Pelletier was termed "Skategate." A 2003 scandal involving a group of Poland's key political figures and a Polish media magnate Lew Rywin was frequently referred to in Polish media as "Rywingate." Other impressions included Colegate, Sheikgate and Edgate. In 2005, a scandal concerning the legitimacy of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's reelection as President of the Philippines, due to an alleged conversation Arroyo held with an official from the Commission on Elections, was named "Gloriagate"."

"According to Thomas J. Johnson, professor of journalism at Southern Illinois University, During Nixon's final days, Secretary of State Henry Kissinger boldly predicted that history would remember him as a great president and that Watergate would be relegated to a minor footnote."

"Watergate scandal : Aftermath" : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watergate#Aftermath