THE EISENHOWER PRESIDENCY EISENHOWER’S DOMESTIC POLICY
Presidential Election of 1952 Republican candidate: Dwight D. Eisenhower His running mate (VP) Richard M. Nixon
Eisenhower’s Moderate Republicanism Smaller federal government Wanted to limit federal spending What happened to the federal budget when he left office in 1961?
Eisenhower’s Moderate Republicanism His greatest domestic program… Federal Highway Act What was the purpose? Spur growth automobile and other industries Also in the rise of suburbs
The Basic Welfare of Americans While cutting down the government, Eisenhower also expanded welfare. This is what “Modern Republicanism” means.
THE EISENHOWER PRESIDENCY THE RED SCARE
Senator Joseph McCarthy
The Rosenbergs Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were accused of passing secret information about nuclear science to Soviet agents Since they were both Communists and Jewish they faced a lot of discrimination and a jury found them guilty of the crime even though we had no evidence They were sentenced to death
Rosenbergs continued This is one of the most famous incidents during the Red Scare
“Duck and Cover”
THE EISENHOWER PRESIDENCY EISENHOWER AND THE COLD WAR
The Soviets and Communism Policy of Containment is abandoned; now it’s Massive Retaliation The arms race Mutually assured destruction lasts for the remainder of the Cold War
Space Exploration Soviets launch Sputnik Total embarrassment for the U.S.; why? National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Explorer was launched and the space race began (1958)
Eisenhower and the CIA Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Already was created in 1947, but Eisenhower used it differently Made it more powerful in order to crush Communism around the world
New Soviet Leader Emerges Nikita Khrushchev became dictator in 1953
Eisenhower’s Warning in his 1961 Farewell Address Warned us of the growing influence of the military; the military budget had grown dramatically and military leaders had allied with business to seek bigger and more expensive weapons. He feared that this alliance—a “military-industrial complex”—heated the arms race and could “endanger our liberties or democratic processes”.