1. Chapter 27 – America in the 1950’s

2. Under the Cold War’s Shadow
1952 – Dwight Eisenhower elected president
Confronting communism dominates America’s foreign relations.
Eisenhower developed new Cold War strategies:
Reliance on nuclear weapons
Use of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) for covert action
Hope to forestall an all-out nuclear conflict

3. The Eisenhower Presidency
Ike inspired confidence & adopted a middle-of-the-road style
Ended the Korean War, but kept up anti-Communist rhetoric, treating the Cold War as permanent

4. The “New Look” in Foreign Affairs
Eisenhower favored a reliance on American nuclear superiority over more expensive conventional forces
The “new look” conflicted with Eisenhower’s cautious approach:
Ike refused to intervene to aid anticommunist uprisings in East Berlin and Hungary
Avoided military involvement in Indochina
Nikita Khrushchev is the new leader of the Soviet Union
The Berlin Question:
WW III?
3 Summits – no solution

5. The U2 Incident

6. At Home: Subsidizing Prosperity
The federal government:
paid for veterans’ college education
built an interstate highway system
following the Russian launch of a satellite, spent millions on education

7. Seeds of the Vietnam War
The United States provided France with massive military aid in its struggle to hold on to Vietnam:
Ike rejected the use of U.S. ground troops
Believed that if Vietnam fell, the rest of Southeast Asia would fall like dominoes
Vietnam was temporarily divided at the 17th parallel
Eisenhower backed the repressive & unpopular Diem regime in South Vietnam

8. Television and Politics
Richard Nixon’s televised “Checkers Speech”
showed television’s power of appealing to emotions
Favored John F Kennedy in the 1960 presidential debates (emphasized image over substance)
Kennedy won a narrow victory over Republican vice-president Richard Nixon

9. The Coming of the New Frontier
JFK’s New Frontier Liberalism:
Inspired idealism in millions of young people at home and abroad
Called for a new sense of national purpose beyond simply enjoying affluence
supported efforts to improve employment equality for women
committed the country to expanding its manned space program

10. Kennedy and the Cold War
Ike’s “Farewell Address” Warning
Kennedy was a traditional Cold Warrior like Truman & Eisenhower
By 1963, 16,000 American “advisers” were involved in Vietnam
A CIA-backed coup in November 1963 overthrew the Diem regime but failed to stabilize South Vietnam
Supported the Alliance for Progress, a type of Marshall Plan for Latin America

11. Cuba: Revolution & the Bay of Pigs
Fidel Castro overthrows the Batista government
Ends ties to U.S. businesses
Embraces Communism
Begins a land reform program
Ike cuts off aid
The Bay of Pigs
JFK inherited Ike’s plan for a CIA-backed invasion by Cuban exiles
When it failed Kennedy accepted the blame, but continued to back CIA plots to overthrow or kill Castro

12. The 1962 Missile Crisis
Frightened by U.S. belligerency, Castro asked Khrushchev for help
Soviets began shipping missiles to Cuba
When U-2 photos revealed the missile sites, Kennedy went on TV to announce the buildup and demand their removal
JFK rejected calls for an immediate attack but ordered a blockade on Cuba….. (Ike’s warning)

13. The Crisis Ends The Soviets backed down:
Withdrew the missiles while JFK pledged not to invade Cuba
Improved cooperation, U.S. & Soviets sign a Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in August 1963
JFK may also have begun to question the commitment to Vietnam, but November 22nd intervened.

14. The Assassination of President Kennedy
The November 22, 1963:
JFK assassinated in Dallas, Texas
Raised questions about what he would have achieved, had he lived
The Warren Commission:
Concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone
Conspiracy theories, none of them provable, continue to abound 

15. Televising a National Tragedy

16. The Aftermath
JFK’s youth and energy symbolized a generational shift in politics and society but, after his death in 1963, doubt and anxiety were once again setting in
The buildup in Vietnam accelerates
America’s streets explode in racial violence