The main way in which this scandal demonstrated the
vitality of a democratic society was in the fact that the US political system continued
to function throughout the scandal. Everything was done in a constitutional way instead
of by force.
In a society with different habits, Watergate
might well have led to the fall of the system. At the very least, it might have led to
some sort of extralegal (not according to law) taking of power from Nixon. Instead,
oppositional public opinion built to the point that Nixon decided that he had to leave
office. The presidency was then filled according to the constitutional procedure for
replacing a president. In this way, Nixon was removed and replaced in democratic ways
rather than by force.
The fact that the US made it through
the scandal without a major crisis and without any extralegal actions by anyone but
Nixon and his staff shows the vitality of democratic society.
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