Summary Eisenhower: tranquility and crisis, 1952–1960 (A* Notes) A Level History- American Dream Illusion and Reality
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Course
American Dream: Reality and Illusion 1940-1980
Institution
AQA
Notes for A Level History Eisenhower compiled from several resources. Helped me to get an A*.
Includes:
The presidency: Eisenhower’s personality and the policies of ‘dynamic conservatism’; Nixon as Vice-President; the Republican Party; the end of McCarthyism
The growth of the American eco...
Why was Eisenhower such a popular candidate in 1952:
Ike – Nickname
World War 2 general
• Eisenhower disliked the federal government activism in domestic affairs, but
he did introduce the interstate highway system
• Eisenhower married into a wealthy family through Mamie Doud
• The army decided that he had good leadership skills as he was a good team
leader, yet he lacked military strategies
• Eisenhower emerged from the Cold war with a supreme self-confidence, even
arrogance. This is increased throughout his presidency, but was only expressed
privately, 1957 Field Marshal Montgomery’s memoirs and noted that Monty
‘doesn’t want to say I was responsible for winning the war’
• Eisenhower insisted that he found political activity ‘distasteful’ and that he did
not have political ambition or the ‘slightest interest’ in politics. Instead in 1948 he
accepted the post of president of Columbia University and Eisenhower decided to
run after Truman submitted a budget of $14 billion deficit to congress, and
Republican Senator Taft calling for the return of troops from Europe.
Election result of 1952:
, • Won 55% of the vote
• 6 million votes, 39 states, 442 electoral votes
• Stevenson got 9 states and 89 electoral votes
What were Eisenhower’s election promises?
• Criticised Democrat failures at Yalta, the decision to let the Soviets reach
Berlin first had nothing to do with him, Truman had ‘lost’ China and was soft on
, communism, criticised containment and wanted East European nations regarding
independence
• Promised to end the Korean war.
• K1C2: Korea, communism, corruption (red scare)
• Attack containment
• Rollback – taking back communist countries
How did he campaign?
• Didn’t mention competition
• Criticised Truman and Maccarthy
• Impressed with his warmth and sincerity and his wartime heroics and middle-
class pastimes
• Travelled to 45 states on the train
• Used new found phenomenon TV to the campaign – 30 seconds adverts
• Seen as a Fierce war hero
• Targeted female vote
• New look foreign policy – Cut back on budget for air force and nuclear
weapons.
Who was his competition? Stevenson/Taft
• Democrat Adlai Stevenson’s 45%.
• Eisenhower even managed to take five Southern states and his popularity
helped make Congress Republicans again.
• Conservative senator Robert A. Taft of Ohio was entered in primaries against
Eisenhower, but Eisenhower won the nomination of the first ballot
, • Stevenson, governor of Illinois, refused to seek nomination for the party
platform but was drafted by the convention as a compromise choice and
nominated by the third ballot (choose the running mate Senator John Sparkman of
Alabama and pledged to appeal the Taft-Hartley Act and called for continuation of
policies pursued by Truman and his predecessor as president).
• McCarthy attacked Stevenson
Running mate?
• Selected Richard M. Nixon as his running mate
• Nixon had strong anticommunism beliefs.
• Pledges or republicans was to end the Korean War and to support the Taft-
Hartley Act to restrict activities of labour unions.
• September 23rd 1952, Nixon appeared on tv with the ‘Checkers’ speech and
acknowledged the existence of the ‘slush fund’ but denied that it had been used
improperly.
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