Eisenhower: 1953-1961

Libertyville HS

Election of 1952• Truman decided not to run• Dems nominated IL

governor, Adlai Stevenson– Intellectual; orator

• GOP nominated Dwight D. Eisenhower– WWII general; very popular– “Korea, Communism,

Corruption”

• Issues– Korean War– “Red Scare” (McCarthyism)

ResultsEisenhower: 442 ECV / 34 million Stevenson: 89 ECV / 27 million

Red Scare of the 50s• Reflected America’s concern

with int’l Communism• Sen. Joe McCarthy (R-WI)

– 1950 “Wheeling Speech” (205 names, State Dept.)

– 1950 Tydings Committee: D attempt to discredit McCarthy

– McCarthy campaigned for Rs in 1952 elections: They all won

Senate Hearings, 1953-54• McCarthy pursued

communists throughout gov’t, real or perceived– Style: aggressive questioning,

rumor, innuendo– VOA, US Info. Agency

• McCarthy went after the US Army! – Led to his downfall– Browbeating WWII veterans

• McCarthy censured, 1954Sen. Ralph Flanders, R-Maine

House Unamerican Activities Committee (1934-1975)

• 1934-38: fought Nazi propaganda in US

• 1938-44: German-Americans and KKK activity

• 1945-75: investigate “subversion of the constitution”

House Unamerican Activities Committee (1934-1975)

• Hollywood Blacklist– If you refused to answer qs,

you couldn’t work for studios– 300 directors, writers, actors

blacklisted

• HUAC lost prestige in post-McCarthy America and in 1960s

Dwight D. Eisenhower• Born in Texas; West Point

graduate• Deputy to MacArthur

during Bonus Army march• WWII: became supreme

commander in Europe– Diplomatic w/ allies– Excellent administrator

• Kept his politics secret, esp. after army retirement

• Never held political office

Eisenhower: “The Middle Way”• Determined to reverse US

policy trend of great federal involvement in states, localities, & lives of citizens

• BUT not junking all programs– Continued New Deal programs

like social security, NLRA, UI– Created the Department of

Health, Education and Welfare to manage welfare programs

• Emphasized a balanced budget (‘56-57; next=Clinton)

1950s American Economy• Post War fears unfounded• Surge in industries

– Housing (new houses built)– Automobiles (new autos built)

• New industries– Aviation– Electronics

• Cold War boosted economy, too– Federal defense spending– Low tariffs = high trade

• Per capita GDP = #1 in world; inflation 1%

Eisenhower: Foreign Affairs• Personally visited Korea

to end war, 1953• Hydrogen bomb

developed by US, USSR led to Geneva meeting in 1955– Ike: let’s exchange

blueprints of each other’s military bases

– USSR: no response (but relations improved)

Ike: Interstate Highway System• Federal Aid Highway Act

of 1956– Inspired by German

autobahns– Military purpose– Civilian purpose: economic– Funded 90/10 by Feds, but

administered by states– 46,876 miles = largest

highway system in world and largest public works project in history

Election of 1956• GOP nominee: Ike• Dem nominee: Adlai

Stevenson• Campaign issues

– Ike’s health (heart condition)– Stevenson supported by

liberal Dems (& southerners) – and that’s it

– Ike’s slogan: I Like Ike!

• Korean war done, nation prosperous: result never in doubt

ResultsEisenhower: 457 ECV / 35.5 million Stevenson: 73 ECV / 26 million

Ike: Foreign Affairs• 1956: Year of turmoil

– Hungarian revolution: encouraged by RFE, Hungarians revolted against USSR; US did not support them & thousands died

– Suez crisis• US, UK refused to support

Egypt for construction of dam• Egypt nationalized the Suez

Canal• Brits, French, Israelis capture

canal W/O US approval

Ike’s Response• Forced a cease fire on all

parties– Ike threatened to sell off

British bonds (destroy British economy)

– Started oil embargo vs Brits, France

– PM Eden forced out; replaced by UN peacekeepers (there until 1967)

Eisenhower Doctrine• US became protector of

western interests in Middle East

• Ike Doctrine: US would be “prepared to use armed force to counter aggression from any (communist) country” that attacked Middle East

• Ex: 15k troops to Lebanon, 1958

Ike’s Farewell Address

Warned against what is now known as “the military-industrial complex”

Ike’s Legacy• Expanded containment policy• Robust US presence on international scene• Reigned in Federal spending• Helped create conditions for economic

expansion• Continued desegregation and advancement

of civil rights