CHAPTER 27 The Eisenhower Years

Summarize the election of 1952 (R) - Eisehnower / Nixon Ticket (D) - Stevenson / Sparkman Ticket Eisenhower pledges to end the Korean war if elected. Ike wins 55% of popular vote & an electoral college landslide of 442 to 89

Domestic Policies of Eisenhower Goal was to balance the budget Extended Social Security Raised minimum wage Created Dept. of Health, Education & Welfare (cabinet position) Helped farmers increase their income Opposed aid to education & federal health care insurance. Bradley, Eisenhower, Patton

Interstate Highway Act (1956) Construction of 42,000 miles of interstate highways linking major cities Created jobs Promoted trucking industry Suburban growth Hurt railroad industry

John Foster Dulles Secretary of State Thought Truman’s containment policy was too passive. Wanted the US to challenge the communist nations US should liberate the nations of Eastern Europe

Brinkmanship If the US pushed communist nations to the “brink of war”, they would back down. Eisenhower prevented Dulles from carrying out his ideas

Massive Retaliation Place greater emphasis on nuclear weapons and air power. Spend less on the army and navy. “more bang for the buck”

Why was the US concerned with unrest in the 3rd world? Lacked political and economic stability Soviets could make them pawns in the Cold War First (blue), 2nd (Red), Third (green)

Explain Eisenhower’s foreign policy of covert action Used “undercover” intervention in politics rather than employ troops Ex. CIA overthrew an Iranian govt. & replaced it with a one that gave the US favorable oil prices.

How did Eisenhower resolve the conflict in Korea? Armistice & exchange of prisoners in 1953 US troops withdrawn Korea remains divided at 38º No peace treaty ever signed.

At the Geneva conference of 1954, France agreed to give up Indochina, which was divided into the independent states of Cambodia, Laos & Vietnam

North Vietnam North of 17º parallel Ho Chi Minh established a communist dictatorship

South Vietnam Ngo Dinh Diem created an anti- communist government. US gives $1billion in economic & military aid to build a stable country.

Domino Theory Analogy by Eisenhower “If one country fell to communism, one nation after another would also fall”

SEATO Southeast Asia Treaty Organization Defense alliance signed by 8 nations to prevent a fall to communism

Eisenhower Doctrine 1957 Pledged economic and military aid to any Middle Eastern country threatened by communism First applied in Lebanon in 1958

OPEC Oil & Petroleum Exporting Countries Oligopoly of Arab nations that controlled the middle eastern oil supply

The Spirit of Geneva The first “thaw” in the cold war (1955) Slowdown in the arms race Eisenhower proposed “open skies” - was rejected by the Soviets

How did the US respond to Sputnik? National Defense & Education Act (NDEA) gave millions in federal $ to schools for science, math & foreign language ed. Created NASA

2nd Berlin Crisis Khrushchev gave the west 6 months to pull troops out of west Berlin US refused Ike & Khrushchev meet at Camp David to put off the crisis.

U2 Incident Russians shot down a US spy plane (U2) over the Soviet Union Exposed US tactic for getting information Eisenhower takes responsibility Khrushchev denounces Ike

Explain how Cuba fell to communism: Revolutionary Fidel Castro overthrows Batista in As a Marxist, he sets up a Communist totalitarian state.

How did Eisenhower respond to the overthrow of Cuba by Castro’s regime? Eisenhower cuts off all US trade with Cuba.

THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT

Describe 2 specific events that became the origin of the Civil Rights Movement 1. Jackie Robinson becomes the first African American to play on a major league team 2. Truman integrates the armed forces in 1948

What was the outcome of the Court Case Brown v. BOE – what case did it overturn? Ended segregation in schools “with all deliberate speed” (Thurgood Marshall) Overturns Plessy v. Ferguson (separate but equal)

Summarize the incident at Little Rock HS – How did the President Respond? Governor Faubus used state’s National Guard to prevent 9 African American students from entering LR High School. Eisenhower orders National Guard to protect the black students as they walked to school.

Rosa Parks Montgomery, Alabama 1955 Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat to a white person Arrested for violating segregation laws.

Montgomery Bus Boycott Massive African American protest Boycott of city buses in Montgomery (381 days) Nonviolent movement to achieve integration

Role of Martin Luther King Jr. Emerges as the inspiring leader of “civil disobedience” to achieve integration Supreme Court rules segregation laws unconstitutional in 1956

What new laws were enacted under the Civil Rights Acts of 1957 & 1969? Enacted a permanent Civil Rights Commission Gave the Justice Dept. new powers to protect the voting rights of blacks.

What is a “sit-in” and what were the long-term goals of this form of protest? Young students would deliberately invite arrest by sitting in restricted areas (ie lunch counters) Used the non-violent tactic to integrate public facilities