Key Terms

Carter Doctrine

Jimmy Carter’s declaration that efforts to interfere with American interests in the Middle East would be considered an act of aggression and be met with force if necessary

counterculture

a culture that develops in opposition to the dominant culture of a society

Deep Throat

the anonymous source, later revealed to be associate director of the FBI Mark Felt, who supplied reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein with information about White House involvement in the Watergate break-in

détente

the relaxation of tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union

Dixiecrats

conservative southern Democrats who opposed integration and the other goals of the African American civil rights movement

executive privilege

the right of the U.S. president to refuse subpoenas requiring him to disclose private communications on the grounds that this might interfere with the functioning of the executive branch

identity politics

political movements or actions intended to further the interests of a particular group membership, based on culture, race, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender, or sexual orientation

Pentagon Papers

government documents leaked to the New York Times that revealed the true nature of the conflict in Vietnam and turned many definitively against the war

plumbers

men used by the White House to spy on and sabotage President Nixon’s opponents and stop leaks to the press

silent majority

a majority whose political will is usually not heard—in this case, northern, White, blue-collar voters

southern strategy

a political strategy that called for appealing to southern White people by resisting calls for greater advancements in civil rights

stagflation

high inflation combined with high unemployment and slow economic growth

Vietnamization

the Nixon administration’s policy of turning over responsibility for the defense of South Vietnam to Vietnamese forces

Yippies

the Youth International Party, a political party formed in 1967, which called for the establishment of a New Nation consisting of cooperative institutions that would replace those currently in existence