EISENHOWER IN THE WHITE HOUSE ELECTION OF

EISENHOWER IN THE WHITE HOUSE

ELECTION OF 1952 Fear of communism is very strong in the early 50’s and the nation is ready for a change. REPUBLICANS: Dwight D. Eisenhower, P Richard M. Nixon, VP DEMOCRATS: Adlai Stevenson • No real chance • Tried to defend Truman • Ike announced plan to go to Korea

Eisenhower & Nixon • Landslide! • 442 to 89 electoral votes • “Time for a Change!” “I Like Ike” • Promised to end Korean War, be tough on communism & end corruption in gov’t • “Checkers speech” • Nixon serves as attack dog • Capitalized on war hero, NATO • TV ads – 1 st time in P campaign

EISENHOWER’S STYLE: Ø Very popular! Liked to work behind the scenes. Ø Relied heavily on his cabinet – became a true advisory board Ø Administration became known as the “hidden hand presidency” What are the advantages & disadvantages to this type of leadership? • MODERN REPUBLICANISM • Conservative w/ money but liberal in regards to dealing with people, also called Dynamic Conservatism • Favored big business • Cutting spending, reducing taxes, and balancing the budget • Slowing growth of big government

• In 1959: • Alaska becomes the 49 th State • Hawaii becomes the 50 th State • INTERSTATE HIGHWAY SYSTEM • WWII points out roadway problems • More cars = need for more roads • Cold War Program – would provide means of exit from major cities in case of nuclear attack

Federal Highway Act ‘ 56 • • Largest public works project in U. S. history, $32 billion, 10 years, 40, 000 miles of roads Effect-More cars, new businesses, more travel within nation, suburbs grow, people move around nation, trucking goods, travel time, culture

DOMESTIC PROGRAMS IN RESPONSE TO COLD WAR: • Nuclear Arms race: • US – Hydrogen Bomb, ‘ 52; Soviets –’ 53 • US Policy – Deterrence; conventional air power • Soviets - long-range ICBMs • NASA established! In response to Soviet success with Sputnik in 1957. • U. S. Mercury I, 1958 • EDUCATION – National Defense Education Act • Math, Science stressed – have to catch up to the Soviets! • AP PROGRAMS; Gov’t College Loans

IKE’S HEALTH & THE 25 TH AMENDMENT Ike’s health problems were an issue in election of ’ 56 & led to the 25 th amendment on Presidential Disability: 1. If P dies, resigns, retires, VP moves up 2. If VP office vacant, P appoints a new VP 3. If P is unable to carry out his duties, process in place to appoint VP as “Acting P”

IKE & FOREIGN POLICY KOREA • Armistice in Korea in ’ 53 after Ike’s threat of nuclear weapons • Also, Stalin died in ’ 53 & Khrushchev was ready to end war • US losses – 54, 000 • Chinese & Korean losses – over a million

NEW LOOK POLICY • Sec. of State John Foster Dulles • Containment is insufficient – promised “Massive Retaliation” • Need to prevent small wars from happening by threat of nuclear weapons • “New Look” in defense policy – no large conventional army; buildup of nuclear deterrents instead • Gives U. S. more “bang for the buck” • “Brinkmanship” • willingness to go to the brink of war to force the other side to back down & prevent actual war

BRINKMANSHIP Herblock John Foster Dulles was the U. S. Secretary of State at the time. Dulles argued that the United States might have to come to the brink of war to stop communism, an idea known as brinkmanship. This cartoon appeared in 1958, when anti. Communist sentiment was high among Americans. At the same time, many Americans feared a nuclear conflict.

But the problem is …….

Hungarian Revolt, 1956 “New Look” is just too massive to use in small incidents

THE SHAH OF IRAN, MOHAMMED REZA PAHLEVI, COURTESY OF THE CIA & 1953 COUP • Ike knew that his policy of brinkmanship would not always work so for those situations, he preferred to use COVERT OPERATIONS …. THE CIA! U. S. secured oil for the West, but bought resentment from Iran

SUEZ CRISIS, 1956 EISENHOWER DOCTRINE?

SOVIET-AMERICAN VISITATIONS 1959 • The Kitchen Debate • VP Nixon & Soviet Premier Khrushchev • Khrushchev attempts to go to Disneyland, Sept. – turned away • Meets with Ike at Camp David • Wants West Berlin evacuated • Agrees to summit meeting on disarmament with U. S. British, French in 1960

October 1960, United Nations • Infuriated leader of the Soviet Union was said to have pounded his shoe on his delegate-desk in protest of a speech by Filipino delegate which accused the Soviet Union of having "swallowed up" Eastern Europe and depriving the population of "the free exercise of their civil and political rights". • Castro visited Khrushchev in his hotel room after this speech at the U. N.

U-2 INCIDENT • 1960 • U-2 spy plane shot down by Soviet guided missile • Pilot: Francis Gary Powers • 2 weeks before the summit scheduled between Ike and Khrushchev

FOREIGN POLICY – LATIN AMERICA GUATEMALA • 1954 – Ike believes Guatemalan gov’t is communist sympathizers • Had given 200, 000 acres of American owned land to the peasants • United Fruit Company • Chiquita Bananas! • CIA trained army invaded • Guatemalan army refused to defend their President; army’s leader became dictator

FOREIGN POLICY – LATIN AMERICA CUBA • Castro takes over 1959; confiscates all U. S. property in Cuba • U. S. cuts off imports of Cuban sugar • Castro establishes ties with Soviets • Anti-Castro Cubans (1 million + between 1960 & 2000) head to U. S. • U. S. breaks off relations in Cuba in ’ 61 after Cuban Missile crisis & imposes trade embargo…. sugar …. and cuts off all tourism - just lifted (Obama) • Khrushchev threatens attack if U. S. . ?

CRITICISMS OF IKE: • Criticized for lack of attention to civil rights • Civil Rights Bill of 1957 is mildest one possible • Criticized for not doing enough to protect natural resources • What else?

1950 s Society Changes in the workplace: › Mechanization – Automation! › Factory workers decreased › Led to many more “white collar” jobs than “blue collar” jobs – what’s the difference? › Much corporate consolidation Changes in wealth: › Average income of American family tripled › Home ownership up › Materialism Rampant!– “keeping up with the Jones” Conformity Rules! › People more concerned with outward approval

50’s SOCIETY THE AMERICAN DREAM: Ø House in the ‘burbs Ø TV in living room Ø 2 cars in garage “White Flight” to the suburbs

The Culture of the Car registrations: 1945 → 25, 000 1960 → 60, 000 2 -car families double from 1951 -1958 Pink Cadillac 1959 Chevy Corvette America became a more homogeneous nation because of the automobile.

The Culture of the Car The U. S. population was on the move in the 1950 s. NE & Mid-W → S & SW (“Sunbelt” states) 1955 → Disneyland opened in Southern California. (40% of the guests came from outside California, most by car. ) Frontier Land Main Street Tomorrow Land

Factors that lead to Suburbia • 1 -Baby boom 2 -GI Bill 3 -Interstate hwy 4 -Cheap housing construction • Areas that saw most growth: California, AZ, Penn, FL – The Sun. Belt

THE BABY BOOM • 1945 -1961 • 65 million babies born • Child-rearing became a national science • Women being encouraged (by gov’t & culture) to stay home • Dr. Spock’s how-to guide for baby boom parents. • Urged parents to trust their instincts & parenting abilities. • Criticized as fostering overpermissiveness

Baby Boom It seems to me that every other young housewife I see is pregnant. -- British visitor to America, 1958 1957 → 1 baby born every 7 seconds

Suburban Living Levittown, L. I. : “The American Dream” 1949 → William Levitt produced 150 houses/ week. $7, 990 ($65, 997 today) or $60/month with no down payment.

50’s CONFORMITY

Suburban Living: The Typical TV Suburban Families The Donna Reed Show 1958 -1966 Father Knows Best 1954 -1958 Leave It to Beaver 1957 -1963 The Ozzie & Harriet Show 1952 -1966

FAMILY BOMB SHELTERS

Progress Through Science 1951 -- First IBM Mainframe Computer 1952 -- Hydrogen Bomb Test 1952 -- First birth control pill invented, 10 yrs until it’s out 1953 -- DNA Structure Discovered 1954 -- Salk Vaccine Tested for Polio His first subjects? 1957 -- First Commercial U. S. Nuclear Power Plant 1958 -- NASA Created Overall Medical Advances: Antibiotics, new surgical techniques, and advances in drugs for arthritis, diabetes, cancer, heart disease

A Fifties Computer

TELEVISION & ITS EFFECTS • • 80% of families have them by end of 50 s ADVERTISING industry grows exponentially! Nightly news becomes the norm Sports – college and professional - become even more popular TV dinners Couch potatoes Movie attendance down … but drive-ins Types of shows: comedy, action, adventure, variety… • Popular shows?

THE COLD WAR’S IMPACT ON RELIGION CHURCH & STATE • 1954 -Congress adds “Under God” to the pledge • 1955 - “In God We Trust” required to appear on all currency • By end of 1950’s 95% of Americans felt connected to some formal religious group • Part of the promotion for the movie “The 10 Commandments” gave court houses small monuments/copies for display

Religious Revival Today in the U. S. , the Christian faith is back in the center of things. -- Time magazine, 1954 Church membership: 1940 64, 000 1960 114, 000 Television Preachers: 1. Catholic Bishop Fulton J. Sheen “Life is Worth Living” 2. Methodist Minister Norman Vincent Peale The Power of Positive Thinking 3. REVEREND BILLY GRAHAM currently 97; ecumenical message; warned against the evils of Communism; greatest evangelist?

Religion in the Movies Hollywood: apex of the biblical epics. The Robe 1953 The Ten Commandments 1956 It’s un-American to be un-religious! -- The Christian Century, 1954 Ben Hur 1959

ROCK ‘N ROLL! • Grew out of R & B • Anti-conformity teenagers • “Generation Gap” – cultural separation between kids & parents • Why was Elvis so controversial? Little Richard Elvis Presley

HOW ROCK ’N’ ROLL AFFECTED CULTURE • • • By the late 1950 s, African American performers were increasingly being heard and enjoyed by both white and black teenage audiences. Black artists like Little Richard, Fats Domino and Chuck Berry were as popular as their white counterparts. That this coincided with the growth of the Civil Rights Movement is undoubtedly related. From top clockwise: Frankie Avalon, Ricky Nelson, The Big Bopper, Ritchie Valens, and Buddy Holly

The Beat Movement • The “Beats” or “Beatniks” • White artists highlighting the “values gap” • Unconventional; promoted spontaneity, open sexuality • Poets, artists criticizing authority and conformity of the 50 s - Beats were pre-hippies that questioned everything man! • Even some non-beats were anti-conformist: • J. D Salinger -The Catcher in the Rye suggested that the conformist culture was making teenagers go nuts.

Joseph Mc. Carthy & Mc. Carthyism Ø National spotlight shone first on Mc. Carthy in 1950, when he made a speech in Wheeling, W. Va. He declared he had a list of 205 Communists working in the State Department. Ø In the 1950’s, he became the most visible public face during a period of Republican US Senator from Wisconsin extreme anticommunism tensions.

Mc. Carthyism Ø Is characterized by uncontrollable, and unproven accusations, as well as public attacks on the character or patriotism of political opponents ØNo one was able to bash Mc. Carthy without the risk of being called a communist spy or sympathizer, even President Eisenhower remained silent. ØMc. Carthy even investigated Gen. Marshall and famed scientist, G. Oppeinheimer! ØEdward R. Murrow, the most famed broadcast journalist in history, will target Mc. Carthy.

Mc. Carthyism Ends! -Finally brought down by TELEVISION -Army Hearings -Censured in ’ 54 -Dies in ‘ 57