Download - CH_24_The 1950s
THE 1950SChapter 24
Election of 1952 Eisenhower (President); Richard Nixon (VP)
Classic “Good cop, bad cop” personalities; Eisenhower (Ike) espoused morality and took the high road regarding criticizing the Democrats
Nixon had no problem at all verbally abusing the Democrats
Democrat opponent was Adlai StevensonTruman chose not to run againTruman was getting too old and was extremely
unpopular because of the Korean War
Election of 1952
Eisenhower ran on a platform that promised to end the Korean War officiallySettled for a armistice shortly after he enters
office Democrats try to discredit Nixon by
implicating him as a receiver of inappropriate funds/giftsNixon goes on television and bears his entire
personal life (including finances) in the “Checkers Speech”
Election of 1952 After this, Eisenhower and Nixon easily win
the presidency Eisenhower becomes the sterling example
of a moderate, stable, and unflappable presidentGave the American people a sense of security
amidst a country filled with fear, suspicion, and the terror of nuclear war becoming a reality at any moment.
“I Like Ike” becomes the slogan of the campaign
Modern Republicanism
Eisenhower surprised many as he kept a good majority of the social programs from the New DealHowever, he reigned in the federal
budget whenever possibleDemonstrated his “flexible” conservative
agenda
Modern Republicanism
“New Look” for the militaryMassive deterrence over traditional
military mightAllowed the government to cut defense
budgets while engaging in more covert actions; everyone has to be watching all over the world to protect themselves
Modern Republicanism
“New Look” for the militaryThis becomes the stage for the classic James
Bond movies of the 1960sThe new Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
works quickly behind the scenes to illicit (and sometimes coerce) changes inside countries that they felt were causing problems for America (aiding the communist cause)
Eventually, the area that gave them the most trouble was Vietnam (sort of a second Korean conflict, initially)
Vietnam (Before the War) Was a colony of France that proved
vital in the American (and French) fight against communism
Vital to keep the spread of communism from affecting the whole country, yet America rejected France’s request for active military aid to retain Indochina (including Vietnam) as a colony
Vietnam (Before the War) However, Ike prevents an election in
Vietnam that would have allowed Communist Ho Chi Minh from being placed in control of the entire nationIronic?This is again reinforcing the idea of
fascism over communism
Vietnam (Before the War) China becomes stuck during this time
periodThey cannot trust Russia whenever they are
threatened, but they certainly can’t trust the Americans
Eisenhower realizes their weakness with Russia and decides to take a tough approach to them○ Eisenhower did not realize the differences
between Russia and China, squandering potential with China throughout the 1960s
Birth of the Civil Rights Era Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka
Huge landmark case that led the Supreme Court to strike down Plessy v. Ferguson○ The ruling from 1896 that allowed “separate but
equal” facilitiesRacial segregation was ruled a violation of the
Equal Protection Clause (14th Amendment)○ “No state shall…deny to any person within its
jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws”This ruling paved the way for public school
integration and the Civil Rights Movement
Birth of the Civil Rights Era Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955-56
Brought prominence to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks as activists
Showed civil rights activists the efficiency of economic boycotts
Here’s a throwback to the colonial era! This is the Boston Tea Party for the sake of civil rights.
The government starts to listen after the economy gets threatened.
The Golden Age Seems to be the “Era of Good Feelings” with
TVs, Quiz Shows, and Suburban CulturePresident James Monroe probably would have
been proud of Eisenhower for taking such a deliberate middle course domestically
The economy is surprisingly well in the 1950sReadily shifting away from industrial manufacturingAlso shifting away from high numbers of farms, yet
farming efficiency is growing in Texas, Arizona, and California
The Golden Age
The main engines of economic growth during the 1950s were residential construction and spending on consumer goods○ Shopping malls come into fad
People were alright living in perpetual economic debt for the sake of owning ‘pretty things’
The Golden Age
California becomes the symbol of the post-war suburban boomWestern cities become decentralized
clusters of single-family homes and businesses become connected by highways (Federal Highway Act of 1956)
Ushers in an era of “Leave it to Beaver” ideals
Such an odd paradigm amidst an era of paranoia and fear of nuclear attack
The Golden Age Television
Replaces newspapers as the most common source of information about public events; quickly connects Americans with a common cultural experience (unifies different regions and backgrounds of people)
Becomes the most effective advertising medium ever invented.
Deliberately showed the virtues of a bland, middle-class life○ Trying to prevent paranoia (which the news media and
Joseph McCarthy fueled)