Abstract
Born in 1913 in California, Richard Nixon became the 37th president of the United States in 1968, after being governor of California in 1950, then vice-president at the side of Eisenhower. This republican president earned a big success at the beginning. He indeed managed to end the war in Vietnam with the agreements of Paris of 1973. He also improved the relations with the USSR and formally recognized the government of the People's Republic of China. In 1972, Richard Nixon decided to bid again for a second mandate, and was re-elected then splendidly. But a scandal terminated his career. It was indeed on the night of June 17th, 1972 that the Watergate affair began. This story, one of the biggest political scandals of the 20th century, offended profoundly the United States. So, why was this scandal so important? What did it mean in the context of the functioning of the American Institutions? First, what was the president blamed for? Then, what changes did it generate in the balance of power in the American institutions, such as the congress, the presidency, justice or an emerging fourth power, the press? The scandal of Watergate began with the arrest of five burglars, in the building of Watergate in Washington. It is there that the headquarters of the Democratic Party was based.
