Transcript Slide 1
In the election of 1952, Harry Truman did not seek re-election in the face of a military deadlock in Korea Democrats nominated ADLAI STEVENSON Republicans nominate DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER or “IKE” Eisenhower extremely popular hero of WWII RICHARD NIXON nominated with Eisenhower Eisenhower’s program was called “DYNAMIC CONSERVATISM” Basically, Ike maintained New Deal programs Ike said it meant “being conservative when it comes to money and liberal when it comes to human beings” The biggest program of Eisenhower’s program was the creation of the INTERSTATE HIGHWAY SYSTEM in 1954 Created the modern interstate system Cost lots of money from the federal government Underlying purpose was evacuation in case of nuclear war or need to move troops and equipment quickly throughout the country Significantly hurt the railroad industry Eisenhower tried to get a balanced federal budget but was not very successful Ike aimed to guard against “CREEPING SOCIALISM” Ike actually recorded the highest peacetime deficit in US history While President, Eisenhower saw labor unions grow tremendously The AFL and CIO merged in 1955 AFL-CIO kicked out Teamsters Union in late 1950’s JIMMY HOFFA—head of the Teamsters’ Eisenhower’s Sec. of State, JOHN FOSTER DULLES, the Massive Retaliation rejects Containment Policyinitialized b/c new policy of massive retaliation this foreign policy is about destroying communism!!!!!! Idea was to encourage liberation of the people of Eastern Europe by widespread use of political pressure and propaganda USSR and USA begin armslike race Used radio broadcasts VOICEto OFaccumulate AMERICA and RADIO FREE sophisticated nuclear EUROPE that urged people toarsenals overthrow their communist governments PREEMPTIVE STRIKE capabilities emphasized— Massive Retaliation involved the thought Sovietside or Chinese aggression would be destroy thethat other first countered with nuclear weapons directly on the USSR or China Buzzword for this was BRINKMANSHIP which was the art of never back down from a Problem is nuclear crisis, even if it meant pushing thestrike nation tooption the brinkleaves of war!!! no wiggle room for smaller conflicts or problems!!!!! Eisenhower’s policy also begins the concept of MUTUALLY ASSURED DESTRUCTION (MAD) In the event of nuclear war, both sides would lose MAD became an important deterrent for nuclear war during the next 4 decades Eisenhower also introduced a “new look military” Scaled back the army and navy while building a superfleet of superbombers with nuclear weapons Cost would be less and got more “bang for the buck” Truth is it costs more to maintain nuclear force During Eisenhower’s presidency, Joseph Stalin died and was replaced by NIKITA KHRUSCHEV With Stalin gone, allowed for the possibility of ‘PEACEFUL COEXSITENCE’ between the two countries….wrong!!!!! Khrushchev hoped to prove communism to the rest of the world while in his home country said about the US “we will bury you” The first real test of “massive retaliation” occurred when people in Hungary rose up against its Communist occupiers Soviet tanks rolled in and quickly crushed the uprising Americans never showed up!!!! Nuclear force WILL NOT be used over Hungary The Space Race begins during the Eisenhower Presidency In 1957, Soviets launched SPUTNIK American horrified at the thought of Soviet technology being capable of transporting nuclear weapons Eisenhower ordered rigourous education program to match Soviet technology through the NATIONAL DEFENSE EDUCATION ACT Also creted in 1958 NASA (National Aeronautics Space Agency) Effects of Sputnik on United States Atomic Anxieties: •“Duck-and-Cover Generation” Atomic Testing: •Between July 16, 1945 and Sept. 23, 1992, the United States conducted 1,054 official nuclear tests, most of them at the Nevada Test Site. Americans began building underground bomb shelters and cities had underground fallout shelters. Relationships between the US and the USSR really went sour in 1960 when a U2 Spyplane is shot down deep in Soviet territory!!!! Piloted by FRANCIS GARY POWERS who is captured by the Soviets Eisenhower and the Cold War spread into the Middle East In IRAN, the CIA engineered a coup in 1953 that installed the Shah as dictator With all the problems in the Middle East, Eisenhower issues the EISENHOWER DOCTRINE Empowered the president to extend economic and military aid to nations of the Middle East if threatened by communism In Egypt, Abdel Nassar seized nationalized the Suez Canal Firstand used in Lebanon in 1958 France, Britain, and Israel attacked Egypt in an attempt to internationalize the canal US and Soviets sided together and Soviets threatened to send troops to Egypt Britain and France angry at US for siding against a NATO ally Eisenhower had to deal with Cold War problems in Asia Major problem area was VIETNAM led by HO CHI MINH of North Vietnam (communist) Vietnam had been split North and South at 17th parallel Southern government was led by US backed Diem Domino Theory major issue—belief that if one country falls to communism, neighboring countries will too One other area that affected Eisenhower in the Cold War was neighboring CUBA Cuba had been a nation where US companies had been active prior to 1959 But, FIDEL CASTRO overthrew Batista in 1959 Castro visited US, but Eisenhower refused to see him b/c he wasn’t sure he wasn’t a communist In late 1959, Khrushchev decided to aid Cuba US front that point on began plotting against Castro!!!! America experienced an economic boom in the post-World War II years of the 1950’s Much of the economic growth areas were science and technology There was a revolution in electronics especially in the computer IBM became the major industrial giant of the electronics industry There was also a changing role for workers in the 1950’s For the first time, WHITE COLLAR workers outnumbered ‘BLUE COLLARED” workers Union membership begins to decline Surge in home construction as the nation became homeowners Most of those homes built in suburbs Aerospace industries also began to grow rapidly in the 1950’s Boeing built the first passenger jet called the “707” Built the first Air Force One in 1959 The 1950’s saw the return of the traditional role for women CULT OF DOMESTICITY celebrated the traditional role of women in feminine functions Encouraged by TV shows like “Ozzie and Harriet” & “Leave it to Beaver” Pictured a wife who lived in suburbia, two children, etc. Women who did work found jobs in clerical and service work Women had difficulty balancing role of worker and mother/wife 1950’S saw the return of the consumer culture to the American economy!!! Credit cards like Diners became popular Fast food restaurants like McDonalds opened Disneyland offered more of the life of leisure and affluence 1950’s culture was drastically transformed by the production of the television By 1960, almost every American household had a tv set Religion and sports became commonly found on TV shows Television 1946 --> 7,000 TV sets in the U. S. 1950 --> 50,000,000 TV sets in the U. S. Mass Audience •TV celebrated traditional American values: •Superman-----Truth, Justice, and the American way! Television Davy Crockett--King of the Wild Frontier Sheriff Matt Dillon, Gunsmoke The Lone Ranger (and his faithful sidekick, Tonto): Who is that masked man?? Television Family Shows --> glossy view of mostly middle-class suburban life. Wally and the Beav I Love Lucy Alice Kramden, The Honeymooners The popular music of the 1950’s was a major transformation Elvis Presley was one of the greatest revolutionaries of the 1950’s Rock n’ Roll became big!!!!!!! Other cultural icons emerged in the 1950’s SEXUALITY became more open due to the work of Playboy magazine Movie stars like MARILYN MONROE Not everyone loved the changes of the 1950s, including many critics David Riesman wrote The Lonely Crowd which said we all acted the same William H. Whyte wrote The Organization Man The most famous work was Sloan Wilson’s The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit One of the most influential works was John Kenneth Galbraith’s The Affluent Society One of the key words to describe the 1950’s was conformity Almost all Americans attended church; to not attend was communistic Social life revolved around married couples and families; others on the outside Strong patriotism Cult of Domesticity TV, Movies, and Radio all enforced these values THE BEAT GENERATION—a group of young men alienated by 20th century life Rebelled against conformity and conservatism The election of 1960 was one of the most important elections in American history The Democrats nominated Senator John F. Kennedy Lyndon B. Johnson, Senate Majority Leader, was Kennedy’s running mate Kennedy proposed a new program for America known as “THE NEW FRONTIER” In the campaign, Kennedy’s Catholicism became an issue until he told a group of Protestant ministers that he accepted separation of church and state and Catholic leaders would not influence his decisions Republicans nominated VP Richard Nixon (Eisenhower’s VP) Nixon one of the most active Vice President’s in US history Traveled throughout the world as a “troubleshooter” in various capacities Nixon had defended US capitalism and democracy in his famous Moscow ‘KITCHEN DEBATES’ with Khrushchev The campaign of 1960 is also famous b/c it was the first time debates were shown on national television and they determined the fate of the election The first debate was the most important of the three Those listening on radio gave the edge to Nixon Those watching TV gave the edge to Kennedy Kennedy earned the support of African Americans when he arranged to have Martin Luther King released from a Georgia jail for having been involved in a protest The results of the election of 1960 showed Kennedy defeating Nixon by slightly over 100,000 votes and 303-219 in electoral votes Closest election in US history with a difference of less than 1/10th of 1% Kennedy became the only Catholic president in US history Youngest to be elected at age 43