Complete set of revision notes covering AQA A-Level History 2Q The American Dream: Reality or Illusion
Comparative Essay on Foreign Policy Approaches: Eisenhower versus Kennedy
Bullet Point Essay - Thesis and Antithesis on Eisenhower's Cold War Foreign Policy Approach
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History
Unit 2 - Historical Issues: Periods of Change
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American Dream; Myth or
Reality? 1945-1980
Dwight D. Eisenhower
(1952-1960)
, A: Presidency under Eisenhower
Notes
Known as “Ike”, Eisenhower gained fame by serving as Supreme Commander of
the Allied forces during the Second World War and as supreme commander of
NATO.
In 1952, Eisenhower ended 20 years of Democratic presidents with a landslide
election victory over Adlai Stevenson.
He was a popular candidate because of his war record and his reputation of
being an honourable, affable man who refused to speak ill of anyone else.
Having turned down Truman’s offer of standing as a Democrat candidate in
1947 and 1951, he had a broad appeal to the electorate, winning 55% of the
popular vote.
Eisenhower’s approach to the campaign was to ignore Stevenson and instead
attack Truman as part of a broader anti-Democrat movement based on a
formula known as K1C2 (Korea, communism, corruption)
Despite making mistakes in his campaign including choosing not to defend
General George C Marshall who was accused by McCarthy of being communist,
nothing could stop Eisenhower who even won large percentages of the vote in
the Dixiecrat-controlled South.
Dynamic Conservatism
Eisenhower described himself as ‘conservative when it comes to money, liberal
when it comes to human beings’ and this was the essence of his ‘dynamic
conservatism’. He intervened to stimulate the economy, but emphasised the
need for a balanced budget which he achieved in 1956, 1957 and 1960.
He was also abandoning the traditional Republican train of thought by favouring
an expansion of the limited welfare state in the US at the expense of the
armed forces. However, he continued to believe in giving responsibility to
states and local governments.
Among Eisenhower’s most successful domestic policies were:
- The creation of the new Department for Health, Education and Welfare
- Expansion of social security benefit to cover 10 million Americans
- Increase in the minimum wage by 25%
- Making $500 million available for low-income public housing (although this
was to prove insufficient)
- The Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 built 41,000 miles of Interstate
Highways over a 20 year period.
- Establishing a ‘soil bank’ which paid farmers to withdraw production in the
interest of maintaining food prices
- Admitting Alaska and Hawaii as states
- Introducing two Civil Rights Acts of 1957 and 1960
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