The Watergate Scandal

The Watergate Scandal

Watergate is the name for the hotel and office complex in Washington, where the Democratic National Committee (DNC) had a campaign office. In 1972, five men broke into the DNC office to spy on Democratic campaigns. They were caught, and a scandal developed right away. Investigations revealed that the Nixon administration had a history of using subversive tactics against its opponents, and Nixon himself was involved in the Watergate cover-up. By the time the scandal was over, Nixon had lost his reputation and presidency.

Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein were journalists for theWashington Post who worked to reveal the conspiracy behind Watergate. The investigation into Watergate led to the “Saturday Night Massacre.” Nixon forced two aides to pull out when they refused to fire special council Archibald Cox, who had been appointed to lead the investigation. Nixon was impeached by Congress but chose to resign instead facing a public trial. By resigning, Nixon was avoided admitting guilt for the Watergate break-in and was pardoned by his successor. 

*Watergate had such an impact on American pop-culture that modern scandals often have the suffix “-gate” added to them.