Text 33: watergate

Watergate is the popular name for the political scandal and constitutional crisis that began with the arrest (June 17, 1972) of five burglars who broke into the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office building in Washington, D.C. It ended with the resignation (Aug. 9, 1974) of President Richard M. Nixon.

The burglars and their two co-plotters were indicted on charges of burglary, conspiracy, and wiretapping. Four months later, they were convicted and sentenced to prison terms by a District Court Judge, who was convinced that pertinent details had not been unveiled during the trial and proffered leniency in exchange for further information. As it became increasingly evident that the Watergate burglars were tied closely to the Central Intelligence Agency and the Committee to Re-elect the President (CRP), some of Nixon's aides began talking to federal prosecutors.

The defection of Nixon's aides quickly implicated others in Nixon's inner circle. The Senate established an investigative committee to look into the growing scandal. Amid increasing disclosures of White House involvement in the Watergate break-in and its aftermath, Nixon announced the resignations of the two of his closest advisors, and the dismissal of his counsel.

Growing suspicion of presidential involvement in the scandal resulted in an intensification of the investigation. Soon it became clear that Nixon had been involved actively in the cover-up from its beginnings. These disclosures destroyed the president's remaining congressional support. With the House* impeachment inevitable and Senate conviction probable, Richard Nixon became (Aug. 9, 1974) the first U.S. chief executive to resign.

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* House — The House of Representatives

Text 34: legal and constitutional developments in britain

Within England an increasingly firm and diverse society flowered, made possible by the internal peace maintained by a strong monarchy. Henry II gave significant impetus to the development of a system of royal justice that superseded feudal courts. From this there grew up the system of Common Law, based on the decisions of the king's judges, who traveled around the country. In contrast to Roman civil law and the church's canon law, common law reflected the customs and instincts of the English people, who were beginning to recover influence. Norman lawyers helped to codify it. Its very flexibility and adaptability (like the empirical spirit of British philosophy later) was to ensure its future importance among English-speaking peoples all over the world, especially in the United States.

A step of later constitutional significance was taken with the granting of the Magna Carta* in 1215. The document itself registered feudal concessions extracted by the barons and the church from King John. The Magna Carta became more important in time, especially with the development of Parliament.

This institution was also to have major significance in all English-speaking countries. Many medieval states had comparable institutions, but none with such a future. Parliament was in origin an extension of the Royal Council, in which the king consulted magnates from all over the realm. In 1265 the baronial leader Simon de Montfort summoned a Parliament that also included local gentry from each county and middle-class people of the leading towns. Thus for the first time the whole country was represented - or, at least, all the active elements who ran it. Thereafter, these representatives were generally consulted in times of national emergency — as during foreign wars or rebellions that necessitated the raising of money.

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* Magna Carta — Великая Хартия Вольностей