The Watergate Crisis

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The Watergate crisis marked the beginning of the age of cynicism in America. This readable and insightful account examines what happened in Watergate, who was involved, what it meant then, and what it means now. By analyzing the overall impact of Watergate on events that followed, this work should help students and other interested readers to better understand today's politics. In addition to a narrative overview and a series of topical essays about Watergate, this guide provides a timeline of events, biographical sketches of the key players, the text of important primary documents, a glossary of terms and an annotated bibliography. Watergate refers to a series of crimes and abuses of power including obstruction of justice, conspiracy, criminal coverup, perjury and destruction of evidence. As a result of the Watergate crisis, the press became more intrusive and personal, the public became more cynical and apathetic toward government, executive-congressional relations became soured and divisive and partisan clashes became more bitter. Genovese, a noted presidential scholar, discusses Nixon's political personality, addresses the question of whether any president is above the law and offers a contemporary view of presidential corruption in historical perspective, which is valuable in light of the Clinton impeachment hearings.

Reviews

[G]enovese has performed a worthy service to anyone interested in the events that shaped recent U.S. political history or who might wish to include Watergate as a window into more recent U.S. politics. The book's excellent appendices include brief notes on the central characters of Watergate and a fine collection of relevant documents. These include excerpts from the tapes, the Supreme Court's ruling in the US v. Nixon, the Judiciary Committee's articles of impeachment, Nixon's resignation speech, and even a summary of the Nixon staffers who were convicted, plea bargained, or, in the lone case of John Connally, acquited. There is even a glossary of Watergate related terms, like "unindicted co-conspiritor." Those of us who occasionally teach a seminar on Watergate for undergraduates will be especially grateful to find, finally, a book seemingly made for such a course.-Presidential Studies Quarterly
Genovese combines fairness with passion in this readable analysis....The historical section is a model of conciseness, balancing fairness with insightful comments backed up by contemporary quotations.-School Library Journal
Reference librarians should add this one to their collections, for students and interested laypersons will find it an excellent guide to this nation's most serious political scandal.-American Reference Books Annual
Students searching for help in locating resources specific to different aspects of popular culture will find these volumes an excellent starting point....this set would be an excellent addition to any high school or public library.-VOYA
Taken as the guide to Watergate as it is intended to be, this book is a well-stocked compilation of important facts and resources.-Journal of Government Information
"Genovese has performed a worthy service to anyone interested in the events that shaped recent U.S. political history or who might wish to include Watergate as a window into more recent U.S. politics. The book's excellent appendices include brief notes on the central characters of Watergate and a fine collection of relevant documents. These include excerpts from the tapes, the Supreme Court's ruling in the US v. Nixon, the Judiciary Committee's articles of impeachment, Nixon's resignation speech, and even a summary of the Nixon staffers who were convicted, plea bargained, or, in the lone case of John Connally, acquited. There is even a glossary of Watergate related terms, like "unindicted co-conspiritor." Those of us who occasionally teach a seminar on Watergate for undergraduates will be especially grateful to find, finally, a book seemingly made for such a course."-Presidential Studies Quarterly
"Genovese combines fairness with passion in this readable analysis....The historical section is a model of conciseness, balancing fairness with insightful comments backed up by contemporary quotations."-School Library Journal
"Reference librarians should add this one to their collections, for students and interested laypersons will find it an excellent guide to this nation's most serious political scandal."-American Reference Books Annual
"Students searching for help in locating resources specific to different aspects of popular culture will find these volumes an excellent starting point....this set would be an excellent addition to any high school or public library."-VOYA
"Taken as the guide to Watergate as it is intended to be, this book is a well-stocked compilation of important facts and resources."-Journal of Government Information
"[G]enovese has performed a worthy service to anyone interested in the events that shaped recent U.S. political history or who might wish to include Watergate as a window into more recent U.S. politics. The book's excellent appendices include brief notes on the central characters of Watergate and a fine collection of relevant documents. These include excerpts from the tapes, the Supreme Court's ruling in the US v. Nixon, the Judiciary Committee's articles of impeachment, Nixon's resignation speech, and even a summary of the Nixon staffers who were convicted, plea bargained, or, in the lone case of John Connally, acquited. There is even a glossary of Watergate related terms, like "unindicted co-conspiritor." Those of us who occasionally teach a seminar on Watergate for undergraduates will be especially grateful to find, finally, a book seemingly made for such a course."-Presidential Studies Quarterly

Author Bio

MICHAEL A. GENOVESE is Professor of Political Science and Director of the Institute for Leadership Studies at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. He has written seven books, including The Nixon Presidency: Power and Politics in Turbulent Times (Greenwood, 1990), The Presidency in an Age of Limits (Greenwood, 1993), and The Paradoxes of the American Presidency, co-authored with Thomas E. Cronin (1998). He has won over a dozen university and national teaching awards.