Which U.S. President, a Republican, is associated with ending the Vietnam War, recognizing China, and resigning after Watergate?

• A. Lyndon B. Johnson
• B. Gerald Ford
• C. Richard Nixon
• D. Jimmy Carter

Answer: (C)

This question tests understanding of a president who combined bold foreign policy shifts with a major domestic crisis. Richard Nixon fits all three parts. As a Republican, he opened relations with the People’s Republic of China in 1972, ending decades of nonrecognition and reshaping Cold War diplomacy. He also moved to wind down U.S. involvement in Vietnam, culminating in the Paris Peace Accords in 1973 and overseeing troop withdrawals. His presidency ended with his resignation in 1974 after the Watergate scandal and the accompanying loss of political support. The other presidents don’t match all three events together: one expanded the Vietnam War under a different party, another did not resign over Watergate, and the third did not link all three actions to their time in office.