Election of 1952
Republicans
Dwight Eisenhower
 Richard Nixon – VP
 The “Checkers Speech”
 “Time for a Change”
 “I Like Ike”
 Promised to end Korean War, be
tough on communism, & end
corruption in gov’t
 Nixon serves as attack dog
 Capitalized on war hero, NATO, tv
ads
Democrats
Adlai Stevens
 No real chance
 Tried to defend Truman
 Ike had announced plans to
go to Korea
Eisenhower’s Style
 Very popular!
 Liked to work behind the scenes
 Relied heavily on his cabinet – became a
true advisory board
 Administration became known as the
“hidden hand presidency”
 Dynamic Conservatism:
 Small gov’t
 Modern Republicanism
 To slow the growth of the federal gov’t
 Cutting spending, reducing taxes, balancing budget
 Eisenhower’s administration….
 Very middle of the road course
 Liberal with individuals; conservative with their money
 Eisenhower & the economy…
 50s growth due to consumer credit/advertising
 Lowers Truman’s defense spending
 On business and labor….
 Minimal business regulations
 Big business / many mergers
 Union growth slow; AFL-CIO merge; Teamsters corruption
 Eisenhower & the New Deal Programs…
 Debate was over how much larger they should become
 Social Security and unemployment increased
During Eisenhower’s Presidency
 Operation “Wetback”
 A million illegal Mexican immigrants sent back
 Didn’t want to undercut program of legally imported
farm workers begun in WWII
 In 1959:
 Alaska becomes 49th state
 Hawaii becomes 50th state
Domestic Programs in Response to Cold War
 Interstate Highway System – why?
 Nuclear Arms Race:
 Hydrogen Bomb: US ‘52; Soviets ‘53
 US Policy – Deterrence; conventional air power
 Soveits – long-range ICBMs
 NASA
 Established in response to Soviet success with Sputnik in ‘57
 US Mercury I – ’58
 Education – National Defense Education Act
 Math & science stress (STEM programs)
 AP Programs ; College Loans
Ike’s Health & The 25th Amendment
 Ike’s health problems were an issue in the
election of ‘56
 Led to the 25th amendment on Presidential
Disability
1. If P dies, resigns, retires = VP moves up
2. If VP office vacant = P appoints new VP
3. If P going to be unable to carry out duties,
must tell Congress & VP becomes acting P
4. If P unable to inform Conress & is unable to
carry out duties, VP & Cabinet go to
Congress and have VP appointed as acting P
CIVIL RIGHTS:
Jim Crow still rules South
 Only 20% less were
registered to vote
 Emmett Till, 1955
Jackie Robinson breaks
color barrier in sports,
1947
Brown v. Bd. of Education, Topeka, KS, 1954 –
Reverses Plessy v. Ferguson
Thurgood Marshall
(center)
Ike: did not complete
Truman’s integration of
military & did not
believe racial equality
could be achieved by
government action
Ike’s biggest contribution:
appointing C.J. Earl
Warren
THE LITTLE ROCK 9
 Issue is forced
integration of 9 black
students into Little Rock’s
Central High
 Gov. Faubus mobilized
National Guard to prevent
Little Rock 9 from
entering the school /
town mob
 Pres. Eisenhower
federalizes National
Guard/sends paratroopers
to escort the 9 in –
soldier bodyguards remain
 Ike sets up permanent
Civil Rights Commission to
investigate violations and
authorizes injunctions to
protect voting rights
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
IKE & FOREIGN POLICY
 KOREA:
 Armistice in Korea in
’53 after threat of
nuclear weapons
 Also, Stalin died in ’53
& Khrushchev wants to
end war also
 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 and
Liberation”
 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
 Problems?
Progress Through Science
Atomic Anxieties:
 “Duck-and-Cover
Generation”
Atomic Testing:
 1946-1962  U. S. exploded 217
nuclear weapons over the
Pacific and in Nevada.
SOVIET-AMERICAN VISITATIONS
1959
 The Kitchen Debate
 VP Nixon & Soviet Premier
Khrushchev
 Khrushchev attempts
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
U-2 INCIDENT
• U-2 spy
plane
• 1960
• Shot down
by Soviet
guided
missile
• Francis Gary
Powers
FOREIGN POLICY – LATIN AMERICA
 Why resentment toward U.S.?
 Guatemala?
 What happened to Nixon’s “goodwill
tour” in Venezuela and Peru?
 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….still in effect
 Khrushchev threatens attack if U.S..?
1950s Society
 Changes in the workplace:
 Mechanization
 Led to many more “white collar” jobs than “blue
collar” jobs – what’s the difference?
 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
Well-Defined Gender Roles
The ideal modern woman married, cooked and
cared for her family, and kept herself busy
by joining the local PTA and leading a troop
of Campfire Girls. She entertained guests in
her family’s suburban house and worked out on
the trampoline to keep her size 12 figure.
-- Life magazine, 1956 Marilyn
Monroe
The ideal 1950s man was the provider, protector,
and the boss of the house. -- Life magazine, 1955
1956  William H. Whyte, Jr.  The
Organization Man
A
a middle-class, white suburban
male is the ideal.
A Changing Workplace
Automation:
1947-1957  factory workers decreased by
4.3%, eliminating 1.5 million
blue-collar jobs.
By 1956  more white-collar than blue-collar
jobs in the U. S.
Computers  Mark I (1944). First IBM
mainframe computer (1951).
Corporate Consolidation:
By 1960  600 corporations (1/2% of all
U. S. companies) accounted for
53% of total corporate income.
WHY?? Cold War military buildup.
50’s
SOCIETY
THE AMERICAN
DREAM:
House in the ‘burbs
TV in living room
2 cars in garage
50’s CONFORMITY
•Suburbs, such as Levittown, NY flourish
•1949  William Levitt produced 150 houses per week.
•$7,990 or $60/month with no down payment.
Suburban Living:
The New “American Dream”
k 1 story high
k 12’x19’ living room
k 2 bedrooms
k tiled bathroom
k garage
k small backyard
k front lawn
By 1960  1/3 of the U. S. population in
the suburbs.