In the 1970s and 1980s, America experienced the presidencies of two great presidents by the names of Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan. Even though the two men came from different backgrounds, they had similarities in the way they ran the country. Some of their actions were applauded for and some were criticized. In this paper, I will compare the presidencies of Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan. Including their domestic and foreign policies and their impeachable offenses.
             Richard Nixon was elected to the presidency in 1968 after the stunning decision made by President Lyndon Johnson for not seeking a second term in office. When President Nixon stepped into office, he faced a nation that was sharply divided. The United States was fighting a war against Communism, and lives were lost in Vietnam. President Nixon was considered a great President in foreign policy. He was more interested in foreign policy than in domestic affairs. When Nixon took office in 1969, the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War had been going on for nearly five years. Over 30,000 American soldiers had died and antiwar protesters demanded peace. President Nixon slowly withdrew troops from Vietnam; a policy known as Vietnamization. Many Americans favored it, but many others wanted the U.S. involvement to end immediately. Still others wanted to increase the U.S. commitment to the war.On January 23, 1973, the Paris Peace Accords were signed, North Vietnam and the United States both agreed to a cease-fire with an exchange of prisoners and a complete withdrawal of U.S. military forces. According to an article in Encarta Encyclopedia, President Nixon made an agreement to South Vietnam. "Nixon privately assured South Vietnam that the United States would use full force to aid the South Vietnamese if the Communists violated the agreements." (Encarte Encyclopedia 1995) In the end, about 58,000 American soldiers died in the war and about 300,000 were wounded. Nort...