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Eisenhower’s Modern Republicanism ■1952: Frustration w/Korea & Red Scare led to GOP POTUS takeover ■WW2 hero Eisenhower elected easily –VP Nixon anti-communism & corruption –“Ike” vowed to go to Korea & personally end the war DDE did go to Korea, overturned UN battle plan, & threatened China w/nuclear war to get armistice signed in 1953
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Eisenhower’s Modern Republicanism ■ gov’t spending & balanced budget –Continued many New Deal programs ■Affluent postwar “good life” dependent upon a strong Cold War foreign policy “I’m conservative when it comes to money and liberal when it comes to human beings”
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Eisenhower’s Modern Republicanism ■In 8 yrs as POTUS, DDE had modest domestic record: –Social security & minimum wage increased –Federal Housing Admin helped finance building & purchasing of suburban homes –Created Dept of Health, Education, & Welfare US economy avoided spiraling inflation & brought prosperity to more Americans
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Eisenhower’s Modern Republicanism ■Interstate Highway System ■Interstate Highway System: –Hwy Act (1956) created 41,000 miles to connect major U.S. cities –Helped promote national defense, interstate trade, & vacation travel
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The Republicans in Power ■Re: McCarthyism – Ike provided “just enough rope to hang himself” in 1954 –Televised “Army hearings”: US saw McCarthy’s style & fact-less attacks –Sen censured McCarthy & his “communist” attacks quickly died “I am not going to get into a [peeing] contest with a skunk” “Have you no decency, Mr. McCarthy?”
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Postwar American Society
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An Affluent Society ■Postwar boom caused by –Desire for consumer goods (suppressed in 1930s & 40s) –Cold War gov spending –Baby boom & movement to the suburbs ■Affluence led to shift from individualism to conformity The Marshall Plan The Korean War Cars with automatic transmissions Filter cigarettes TVs Refrigerators Hi-fi record players Economy grew from crippling depression to highest standard of living in world history in just 1 generation
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TV in the 1950s ■$64,000 Question ■21 Questions ■Bonanza ■The Untouchables ■I Love Lucy ■1950s TV networks “I Love Lucy” “The Milton Berle Show” TV replaced radio & magazines as the primary conveyer of American consumer culture
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Birthrate, 1940-1970 The late 1940s & 1950s experienced the “baby boom”
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Life in the Suburbs ■Highways / rapid growth of suburbs: –Cookie-cutter American life McDonald’s –Cars, grocery stores, malls –Nuclear family, not extended family –“White flight” to suburbs left behind largely black urban cores
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A Suburban Case Study: Levittown, New York Begin in 1947 with 4,000 rental homes to veterans Grew to 17,000 sold homes in 1951
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Southdale Shopping Center, Minnesota— the 1 st enclosed, air-conditioned shopping mall
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Areas of Greatest Growth ■Affluence & rapid growth of suburbs also led to: –Increased church membership –Public school enrollment –College as a legitimate goal for middle class
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New Students Taking Advantage of the G.I. Bill Juvenile Delinquency Movies of the 1950s
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The Music of the 1950s ■Music of early 50s dominated by doo-wop ■Rock n’ roll quickly struck a chord with young listeners: –Black artists: Ray Charles, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, & Little Richard –White artists: Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, Buddy Holly, & Elvis Presley
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Critics of the Consumer Society ■Some criticized US culture: – William Whyte’s Organization Man & David Riesman’s Lonely Crowd criticized US conformity Beatniks –Jack Kerouac & the Beats (Beatniks) emerged as new counter-culture by refusing to conform to 1950s culture Led to 60s counter-culture
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■Find images Beat Artists (Beatniks) “City Lights” in San Francisco was a hotbed for Beat artists
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Mar Abstract Expressionism Jackson PollockMark Rothko
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Eisenhower Wages the Cold War
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Eisenhower & the Cold War ■Unusually well-prepared to be a Cold War president ■Foreign policy goals were to: –Strong stand against Communism Threaten “massive retaliation” w/nukes Covert CIA operations –Reduce defense spending / relax Cold War tensions Pragmatic & well organized WW2 military experience in Europe & Asia Chose hard-liner John Foster Dulles to be Sec of State Excellent diplomat & politician
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Massive Retaliation ■Ike wanted “more bang for the buck”: –Nuclear weapons cheaper than conventional armed forces –“Massive retaliation” strategy made using nuclear weapons unlikely –Massive retaliation offered no intermediate course of action if diplomacy failed Massive retaliation – civilian targets rather than military ones Brinksmanship – using threats of nuclear war as diplomatic strategy
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Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs)
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What are the stakes of war? Massive Retaliation? Mutual Assured Destruction?
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Massive Retaliation ■1954: DDE used hardline approach to stop Chinese expansion in Asia: –Attempts to take over islands near Taiwan led DDE to threaten nuclear war if China didn’t stop –DDE hoped pressure would drive a wedge between USSR & China China didn’t know if he was bluffing so they backed off …and refusal of USSR to aid China helped create a rift by end of the 1950s
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Suez War ■Suez Canal (Egypt) built by UK & France – open to entire world ■Egypt wanted to build Aswan Dam along the canal –Needed financial aid to build it
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Suez War ■Egypt asked US for help in building dam, also asked USSR ■US pulled their offer when they discovered Egypt talked to USSR
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Suez War ■Egypt offended – said no other country could use the canal ■UK/France/Israel nearly fought with Egypt, US led negotiations
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Suez War ■DDE didn’t want USSR to attack so he threatened nuclear war –MASSIVE RETALIATION “If those fellows start something, we may have to hit ‘em…if necessary, with everything in the bucket”
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Eisenhower Doctrine ■Suez Crisis revealed vulnerability of Middle East to Communism – DDE responded: Eisenhower Doctrine –1957: Eisenhower Doctrine US armed forces will protect Middle East from Communist aggression –1957: DDE sent military to Lebanon to halt Communism & install pro- Western gov Like Monroe Doctrine (and Roosevelt Corollary) in Latin America, US emerged as police power in a new part of the world
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Covert Actions ■DDE’s administration used covert CIA acts to expand US control: –1953: CIA overthrew Mohammed Mossadegh (Iran) for US-friendly shah –1954: CIA overthrew leftist regime in Guatemala –1959: CIA took a hard line against new Cuban dictator Fidel Castro These interventions led to anti-US hostilities in Middle East & Latin America
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The Effects of Sputnik ■“Space race” intensified Cold War –1957: launch of Sputnik Fears that USSR was leading race to create ICBMs US sped up plans to build ICBMs & IRBM submarines Nikolai Khrushchev after Sputnik: “We will bury you. Your grandchildren will live under Communism.”
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The Effects of Sputnik ■Sputnik led to fears that US was: –Growing soft –Losing competitive edge –Losing work ethic ■Gov responded with: National Aeronautics & Space Administration –1958: National Aeronautics & Space Administration –National Defense Education Act –National Defense Education Act promote STEM education
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Sputnik in 1957 The Original Seven—Mercury Astronauts Alan Shepard was the 1 st American in space
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Waging Peace ■DDE tried to end nuclear arms race as both sides tested h-bombs & ICBMs –1953: DDE called for disarmament & presented “Atoms for Peace” plan to the UN –1955: Khrushchev rejected DDE’s “open skies” plan for disarmament
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Military-Industrial Complex Military-Industrial Complex ■In his farewell address (1961), DDE warned against Military-Industrial Complex: –Massive military spending that dominates domestic & foreign politics
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Conclusions ■By 1960, the US more optimistic than 1950 –US no longer afraid of return of another Great Depression –Anxiety over the Cold War continued but not as severe –But…values & race relations were areas of concern
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