The Eisenhower Years

 Republicans want to gain control of the White House  Democrats had been in control for 20 years  Republicans want to run against Korea, communism and corruption  Speculation during the Truman administration that some of his officials accepted bribes Election of 1952

 Republicans nominate Eisenhower  Democrats nominate Adlai Stevenson  Chose Richard Nixon as his running mate  What do we know thus far about Nixon?  Campaign Slogan:  “It’s time for Change”  Wanted to end Korean conflict/corruption  Political saying: I Like Ike!  Campaign Controversy  Nixon accused of accepting $18,000 in gifts from businessmen  Nixon addresses the nation in a radio broadcast  Says he used the funds for political reasons  Except one gift: a cocker spaniel Checkers  Known as the Checkers Speech Eisenhower "The Man from Abilene" (Eisenhower, 1952) "Never Had It So Good" (Eisenhower, 1952) from-abilene

Election of 1952

The Eisenhower Presidency  The Bricker Amendment  Proposed by John Bricker  Angry over secret agreements at Yalta, wants to limit presidential power  Senate would have to ratify all decisions of the President with other nations  Defeated by one vote  Eisenhower suffers a heart attack in 1956  His bad health will have Congress examine the question of presidential succession  What would happen if the president stayed ill, and was unable to lead?  VP would fill in, but the Constitution does not say who decides whether or not the VP would have to take over  1967, ratify the Constitution with a provision that would outline presidential disability  25 th Amendment

Eisenhower Presidency  Wins the 1956 election  Congress is controlled by the Democrats  During his presidency, he tries to limit the control of the government  Does cut budget, reduces taxes, end gov’t regulation of business  What will Eisenhower do w/New Deal policies  America will see a rise in the economic sector  Increase in credit  Increase in technology  Suburban lifestyles  Women roles  Baby boomers  Birth rate increases from

Eisenhower and Foreign Policy  Wants to contain communism  Especially in Asia and Africa  Want to increase the number of Allies  US has larger role in NATO  Creates SEATO  SE Asian Treaty Organization  Creates CENTO  Central Treaty Organization  (organization of nations in the Middle East)  OAS  Organization of American States  All created to offset the spread of Communism  Helpful to Eisenhower and his foreign policy was John Dulles  Dulles thought containment wasn’t strong or forceful enough  Believed in MASSIVE RETALIATION  All or nothing  Keep Soviet attack at bay by threatening to use nuclear weapons  If the Soviet attacked, US would launch weapons  Eisenhower, afraid of an all out nuclear war, continues with containment

Foreign Policy in Asia  After Korea, another conflict emerges  Ho Chi Minh  Communist in Vietnam  Vietminh  Heads the push for independence from France  US stays out of conflict, but supplies France with weapons/supplies  Dulles wants to send troops  No support from Congress  Eisenhower stays out of the conflict  Dien Bien Phu falls in 1954  French withdraw from Indochina  Geneva Conference 1954, Vietnam divided on 17 th parallel  North of line Ho Chi Minh and communists in control  South of line, government supported by the US is established  Many oppose Diem’s leadership in the south

Iran and Guatemala  Iran  Iranian PM takes control of the Anglo-American Oil Co.  Eisenhower worried of Iranian- Soviet Alliance  Could endanger US supplies of oil  Eisenhower helps fund a revolt  Will later sign agreement allowing the US to have a part in oil production  Guatemala  Helped remove another govt official  Colonel Jacobo Guzman  Receiving weapons from communist states  Seizes control of an American owned fruit company  Afraid communism would spread to Central America  Organizes and funds a coup

Third World Neutrality  Nations from Africa and Asia get together  Want to remain free from the influence of the First World (the West) and the Second (the Soviet)  Want to remain neutral

Conflict in the Middle East  1950s US involved with Middle Eastern affairs  What resource is the US dependent upon?  Want to protect those interests  US also interested in Israel  1948, a Jewish homeland had been created  Arabs believe Israel was created on land that belonged to the Palestinians  Tension grows in the region  1956: Egyptian PM Nasser wants to take control of the Jewish state  Signs a treaty with the Soviet to get weapons for cotton  US tries to win Egyptian favor by offering to give money for the funding of a dam on the Nile  Relations w/China/Soviet causes the US to back out  Nasser takes the Suez Canal

Why the Suez?  Trade Link btw Europe, Asia and Middle East  British French, and Israeli troops attack w/o support of US  At meeting of the UN, US votes WITH Soviet, condemning actions  Forces them to withdraw from Egypt  US looks weak

After the Suez  Eisenhower worried about Soviet influence  Soviet offers money to Egypt to build the dam  Eisenhower Doctrine  Gave authority for president to use military to assist nations in the M.E. from communist states  Ex: Lebanon asks for help in defending themselves from Nasser & the Soviet  Thought they were going to invade  US sends troops to oversee the installation of a new gov;t  Shows US dedication in M.E.

The Cold War Thaws?  1953 Stalin dies  Replaced by Nikita Khrushchev  Khrushchev saw Stalin as a tyrant  Soviets seek a peaceful existence with the West  1955: meet at Geneva w/France, GB  Motions for disarmament  Relations not strong for long  Disagreements erupt over Berlin  Soviet threatens to cut them off from the West unless the East German gov’t was recognized

The Cold War Thaws?  1959 Khrushchev/Nixon visits  Kitchen Debate: July 1959  Debate by the world leaders regarding communism v. capitalism  Meet at Camp David to plan a second summit meeting  Peace lasts only so long m=1&ie=UTF- 8&sa=N&tab=wv#q=Kitchen%20Debate&hl=en&sitesearch=video.google.com

U-2 Spy Plane  May 1960  Soviet shoots down a U-2 surveillance plane over the Soviet  US sent the plane to photograph nuclear sites/missile facilities  Khrushchev refuses to attend the second summit  Cold War is back on