1. Do Now: Read “The Beat Generation” and answer the questions below…
1. Based on what you just read, how did artists and writers of the Beat Generation try to overcome conformity of the 1950’s? Discuss and write in your notebook.
2. Do you see any connections to today? Discuss and write in your notebook.

2. The 1950s: Conformity The “beat movement”: who were the “Beatniks”?
“Beatniks” were artists & writers who rejected conformity
Originated in Greenwich Village, NY
Played off of the Lost Generation after WWI
F. Scott Fitzgerald, John Steinbeck, J.R.R. Tolkien
Rebelled against conformity (suburbs, consumer goods, & “regular jobs”)
Emphasized alcohol, drugs, sex, jazz, and a vagabond lifestyle
Led by Jack Kerouac, the beats inspired the “hippies” of the 1960s
VIDEO
Ideal man? Ideal woman? Family expectations? Social expectations? Keeping up with the Joneses? White America?

3. Which society would YOU have rather lived in?
How does American society in the Affluent 1950s compare to American society in the Roaring 1920s after WWI?
Which society would YOU have rather lived in?

4. Aim: Was Eisenhower a successful president during the Cold War?
Presidential term: January 20, 1953 – January 20, 1961

5. VIDEO Ad Known as “Ike” WWII war hero Republican – but moderate
WHILE YOU WATCH: Dwight David Eisenhower enjoyed immense popularity when he was president between 1953 and What was Eisenhower’s appeal? Why was he so popular?
VIDEO
Known as “Ike”
WWII war hero
Republican – but moderate
Conservative economics but liberal social policy Ad

6. President Eisenhower escalated the Cold War by using brinkmanship: threatening to use nuclear weapons & willingness to go to the brink of war
If the USSR attacked a NATO member, the U.S. would use massive retaliation: attack every major Soviet city & military target
The USA & USSR began stockpiling nuclear weapons & building up their militaries

7. “Don’t Be Afraid – I Can Always Pull you Back
“Don’t Be Afraid – I Can Always Pull you Back.” Herblock, What idea is being expressed in the cartoon?

8. It was believed that if both countries (USA and USSR) had TOO many nuclear weapons then they couldn’t use them because of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD)

9. In response to the threat of a Soviet nuclear attack, Congress created the Interstate Highway System in 1956
41,000 miles of highway connected U.S. cities and promoted trade & travel
Highways served as a means to evacuate cities during a potential nuclear attack!

10. 1956: the Soviet Union threatened expansion into the Middle East
U.S.-Soviet relations changed in 1953 when Stalin died after 30 years of absolute rule over the Soviet Union
Nikita Khrushchev took over and began to aggressively challenge U.S. influence in the world
1955: Khrushchev formed a communist alliance to rival NATO, called the Warsaw Pact
1956: the Soviet Union threatened expansion into the Middle East
President Eisenhower responded with the Eisenhower Doctrine, pledging the USA to protect the Middle East from Communism

11. Quick Class Discussion:
Which part of the world did the U.S. promise to protect in the (a) Monroe Doctrine, (b) Roosevelt Corollary, (c) Truman Doctrine, and (d) Eisenhower Doctrine?

12. What happened during the U2 Spy Plane Incident?
Document Analysis
Read the 3 documents titled, “The U-2 Incident, 1960”
Answer the questions that follow…
What happened during the U2 Spy Plane Incident?
U2 Spy Plane Incident
US spy plane shot down over USSR
Pilot SURVIVES!
Result = Cold War tensions flair up!

13. “Wonder why we’re not keeping pace
“Wonder why we’re not keeping pace?” Herblock, Washington Post What’s the main idea of the cartoon? What “launch” is going to put the USSR ahead?

14. 1957: the USSR launched Sputnik, the first satellite into space
Sputnik shocked Americans who feared the U.S. had fallen behind the USSR in science & technology
As a result of Sputnik, the Cold War escalated into a SPACE RACE to show American & Soviet dominance

15. The U.S. government reacted to Sputnik by passing the National Defense Education Act to promote math, science, and technology education and to fund university research

16. NASA’s original seven NASA Mercury astronauts
The USSR repeatedly beat the USA in space by launching the first man into orbit & orbiting the moon
In 1958, the USA created National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) to catch up to the USSR
NASA’s original seven NASA Mercury astronauts

17. Americans seemed to be losing the technology race against the USSR
By 1960, Eisenhower’s presidency was coming to an end and the Cold War was as tense as ever!
Eisenhower’s effectively limited communist expansion during his eight years as president
…but…
Eisenhower’s build-up of nuclear weapons & use of brinkmanship created the potential for nuclear annihilation
Americans seemed to be losing the technology race against the USSR

18. Truman successfully contained communism in Western Europe…
Presidents Truman and Eisenhower experienced successes and failures in the Cold War with the USSR
Truman successfully contained communism in Western Europe…
Eisenhower used the CIA & brinkmanship to limit Soviet global influence…
…but saw communism to spread in Asia & the USSR match America’s nuclear weaponry
…but the USSR was winning the space race & Americans were anxious about a nuclear war
TAKE A PIC!

19. Aim: Was Eisenhower a successful president during the Cold War?
Final Summary
Aim: Was Eisenhower a successful president during the Cold War?