The Fifties
Germans Trying to Escape (Berlin Wall)
Identification (3 Points)
• 1.Eisenhower
Answer One
• Eisenhower was the President from
1952-to 1960. The former war hero
and Republican was a moderate who
appealed to Democrats and
Republicans alike.
Identification (3 Points)
• 2.Richard Nixon
Answer Two
• Richard Nixon was Eisenhower’s
choice as Vice President. He was
chosen because of his appeal to
conservative Republicans due to his
strong anti-Communist views.
Identification (3 Points)
• 3.Checkers’
Speech
Answer Three
• Checkers’ Speech is the nickname for
a famous speech given by Nixon
shortly after being chosen as Vice
Presidential candidate. Accused of
financial malfeasance, Nixon invoked
sympathy from the public by
referring to his dog “Checkers”.
Identification (3 Points)
• 4.McCarthy
Answer Four
• McCarthy was the Senator from
Wisconsin who claimed the US
government and certain industries
were riddled with Communist
sympathizers. His reign of terror
ended when he overstated his case on
national television.
Identification (3 Points)
• 5.Election of 1956
President Eisenhower
Answer Five
• Election of 1956 was a landslide
victory for Ike. Eisenhower’s war
hero status made him a shoo-in with
the public.
Identification (3 Points)
• 6.Adlai Stevenson
Answer Six
• Adlai Stevenson ran against
Eisenhower in 1952 and 1956. The
liberal Governor of Illinois was
overmatched and lost by a wide
margin both times.
Identification (3 Points)
• 7.AFL-CIO
Answer Seven
• AFL-CIO was a merger of the two
largest unions in America. By merging,
each union gained more clout with
management when negotiating
contracts.
Identification (3 Points)
• 8.Agribusiness
Answer Eight
• Agribusiness is when smaller “family’
farms are bought by larger farms
leading to economies of sale in
agriculture. By 1959 half of the
farmland in the US belonged to 4% of
the farmers.
Identification (3 Points)
• 9.“Economy of
Abundance”
John Kenneth Galbraith
Answer Nine
• “Economy of Abundance” was a theory of
economics espoused by John Kenneth
Galbraith that said that through modern
technology, more variety and quantities of
goods and services could be produced. This
abundance led to an unprecedented
standard of living for common Americans
during the Fifties.
Identification (3 Points)
• 10.Automation
Answer Ten
• Automation is the operation of
manufacturing by mechanical or
electronic means. Automation made
industry more efficient and saved
consumers money through lower
pricing.
Identification (3 Points)
• 11.John Foster
Dulles
Answer Eleven
• John Foster Dulles was Eisenhower’s
Secretary of State for most of his
two terms. He sought not just to
contain Communism, but also to help
countries rid them selves of
Communism through aid, arms and
covert operations.
Identification (3 Points)
• 12.CIA
Answer Twelve
• CIA is the Central Intelligence
Agency. During the Fifties, the CIA
was involved in the overthrow of
several foreign governments thought
to be unfriendly to the US.
Identification (3 Points)
• 13.Viet Nam
Answer Thirteen
• Viet Nam was a French colony in
Indochina. During the Fifties, the
French tried to keep Communism out
of Viet Nam. Despite aid from the
US, the French were unsuccessful
and the northern part of Viet Nam
became a communist country.
Identification (3 Points)
• 14.Korean War
Answer Fourteen
• Korean War ended when the UN split
the country in two along the 38th
parallel. The north became a
communist country and the south
became Democratic.
Identification (3 Points)
• 15.Abdel Nasser
Answer Fifteen
• Abdel Nasser was the leader of
Egypt. When France, England and
Israel joined forces to take the Suez
Canal in Egypt, the US voted with the
Soviets to condemn the action and
the three countries left Egypt.
Identification (3 Points)
• 15.Ho Chi Minh
Answer Sixteen
• Ho Chi Minh was the leader of the
Communist forces in Viet Nam. He led
the military action that ousted the
French culminating in the battle at
Dien Bien Phu.
Identification (3 Points)
• 17.Suez Crisis
Answer Seventeen
• Suez Crisis occurred when the
British, French and others invaded
Egypt and seized the Suez Canal. The
US did not side with its’ usual allies
and avoided a possible confrontation
with the USSR, Egypt’s allies.
Identification (3 Points)
• 18.SEATO
Answer Eighteen
• SEATO is the South East Asian
Treaty Organization. This alliance was
designed by the US to provide mutual
defense of the nations of Southeast
Asia against Communist aggression.
Identification (3 Points)
• 19.Fidel Castro
Answer Nineteen
• Fidel Castro was the leader of the
revolutionaries in Cuba. Although the
US at first thought Cuba would be a
friend of the US, he turned to the
USSR and made Cuba a client nation
of the Soviets.
Identification (3 Points)
• 20.OAS
Answer Twenty
• OAS is the Organization of American
States. This alliance was designed to
combat Communism in Central and South
America. In effect this organization was
dominated by the US and provided no
protection against internal Communist
movements.
Short Answer One
(10 Points)
• Why did Congress decide it was
necessary to amend the constitution
concerning Presidential succession
during Eisenhower’s term of office?
Eisenhower (With Churchill)
Answer
• Eisenhower had many heart problems during his two terms
of office. Congress became concerned that a President could
become incapacitated while still alive, leaving the US for all
intents and purposes without a President.
• The amendment (26th), called for a mechanism for the
President to choose a new Vice President should that office
become vacant and for the Cabinet to certify the President
as incapable to perform his duties. It also allowed for the
President to temporarily give up the powers of the office
should he be unable to perform his duties for a short time.
Short Answer Two
(10 Points)
• What was Eisenhower’s economic
philosophy as President?
Ike with Khrushchev
Answer
• Eisenhower believed in minimal government
regulation of business that led to many
mergers in the 1950’s. He also felt that
taxes and spending should be kept as low as
possible by the government.
• Although he did not wish to end social
programs such as Social Security, he did
want to cut back on Agriculture subsidies
introduced during the New Deal.
Short Answer Three
(10 Points)
• How did McCarthyism end and what
was Eisenhower’s role in its’
demise?
McCarthy Hearings
Answer
• McCarthyism ended due to the public and
the Congress wearying of his tactics as well
as the fact that Eisenhower disapproved of
what the Senator from Wisconsin was
doing. Finally, televised hearings showed
McCarthy to a national audience and
exposed him for what he really was.
Short Answer Four
(10 Points)
• What was the main thesis of
Eisenhower’s “Farewell Speech” and
why was it so impressive?
IKE
Answer
• Eisenhower warned the country to beware of the
“military-industrial complex” which he feared
could exert an undue influence on the country. He
also felt that the growth of the military industrial
complex could endanger the liberties and political
freedoms of US citizens.
• This statement was impressive because it came
from IKE who spent most of his life in the military
and was regarded by most Americans as a war
hero.