Mid-century America

Chapter 27

Ike’s “Modern Republicanism”

Eisenhower adopted a businesslike approach to his office, delegating responsibilities to CEOs (Charles Wilson) he had hired to make the US more efficient

Eisenhower’s most successful legislation was establishing the Interstate Highway System, but otherwise did very little legislation

Eisenhower’s “Middle of the Road” Policies

Eisenhower’s Domestic Policies were both conservative and liberal at varying times, putting him as a clear moderate:

Liberal – He did not get rid of New Deal programs (despite Republican pressure), and raised minimum wage and social security

Conservative – Opposed federal health care and federal aid to education, made strong efforts to balance the budget

Eisenhower and McCarthy

Eisenhower’s “middle of the road” policy continued with McCarthy, because although he did not condone his actions and distanced himself he never condoned his actions (leading to critics from both right and left)

Eisenhower and the CourtEisenhower’s stance

on civil rights at first appeared negative:

1) He refused to back the Brown v. Board of Education decision

2) He regretted nominating liberal justice Earl Warren to the court

Little Rock NineDespite early indications

that Eisenhower was against Civil Rights he:

1) Sent troops to protect integration in Little Rock (Little Rock Nine)

2) Signed the Civil Rights Act of 1957 and 1960 which increased the power of the Civil Rights Commission

Election of 1956

The reaction to most of Eisenhower’s decisions were positive, and it showed in his reelection in 1956, an even greater victory over Stevenson than before

Eisenhower’s Prosperous Economy

Prosperity in the 1950s was due to:

1) The increase in homeowners (60%) and in car owners (75%) as well as the buying of other consumer products due to the tripling of disposable income of Americans

2) The growth of technology and industry leading to new inventions (Computers – Mark I)

3) Increased military spending and use of resources

4) A rising professional middle class that lifted the standard of living in the US (doubled since the 1920s)

The Mark I

Problems with Prosperity

Despite the prosperity, problems emerged such as:

1) The Highway System, while creating jobs and suburban growth, hurt the railroad industries and public transportation and ultimately the environment

2) While growth occurred, fewer businesses were around to prosper from it

3) The “Military-Industrial Complex” was gaining strength, potentially leading to a military state

Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring

Eisenhower’s Policies

• You are an advisor to Eisenhower and believe that his “middle of the road” policies are too moderate of an approach. Take 3 different issues that Eisenhower tackles during his Presidency (at home) and write a letter to him explaining what he should do.

The Dulles Brothers

Allen Welsh Dulles and the CIA

John Foster Dulles – Secretary of State

Eisenhower’s foreign policy centered around the Dulles brothers:

1) He appointed John Foster Dulles, who wanted more aggressive action (brinkmanship) towards the Soviets, but then didn’t take his advice and continued containment

2) He appointed Allen Welsh Dulles, who was given many tasks by Eisenhower regarding covert operations (attempting to defeat communism by influencing policies in other nations)

Eisenhower’s Foreign Actions

Some of Eisenhower’s policies reduced tensions between the Soviets and the US:

Korean Armistice, 1955 Geneva Convention, refusal to help Hungarian Revolution, The Suez Canal Crisis (Britain and France try to invade Egypt to get the Suez Canal, US encourages them not to due to Egypt’s alliance with the Soviets, who gave money to them to build the Aswan Dam)

Despite this, there was the Eisenhower Doctrine which committed the US to protecting interests in the Middle East leading to OPEC (oil), and the CIA interfered in Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, and Iran (allowing the unpopular Shah to return)

The Suez Canal Crisis and Eisenhower Doctrine

Eisenhower with Iranian Shah

Foreign Policy ProblemsDespite some successes with the Eisenhower Doctrine, the US:

Hurt relations with Latin America by overthrowing governments in Guatemala and Venezuela, and was unable to keep Cuba from becoming communist (Fidel Castro)

Tensions with the Soviets increased when:

SEATO was established, The Soviets launched the first satellites (Sputnik I and II), Second Berlin Crisis, U-2 Incident

The Domino Theory - Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh Ngo Dinh Diem

Perhaps most harmful was the effects of Vietnam, where Ho Chi Minh established a strong communist influence in the North against a weakening South Vietnam run by Ngo Dinh Diem

The US gave Diem over $1 billion dollars to stop communist aggression due to the “domino theory” (if they fell, so would the rest of Asia)

U-2 Incident and Sputnik

Eisenhower’s Legacy Essay

• What is Eisenhower’s legacy in foreign policy? Consider his dealings with the Soviet Union and “Cold War” policies around the world. (give a thesis and give 3 sentences with a specific and how that specific connects to his legacy)

Consumerism in the 50sRising purchasing power (money), expanded credit (the increased use of credit cards), and advertising (especially fast food – McDonalds arches) caused increasing consumerism during the 1950s

Houses were among the most popular buying items, especially in the suburbs

Culture in the 50s

Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell Elvis Presley

Americans also purchased televisions (up 90%), where they watched hit shows like “I Love Lucy”, famous actors, and news stations (CBS, NBC)

Americans also purchased paperback books and rock n’ roll records to hear Elvis Presley, and many took vacations to the newly opened Disneyland and Disney World

The Industrial 50s Society

Agribusiness – beef processing

Automation – machines for making products

Labor Unions reached a peak in the 1950s, rising due to the merger between AFL and CIO (AFL-CIO) which won benefits for a large number of industrial workers

Labor Unions declined afterwards due to the lure of new white collar jobs in society (corporate jobs) and labor becoming more conservative (written about in the “The Organizational Man” by William Whyte)

The Baby Boom and Domesticity

The spike represents the sharp increase of babies during the 1950s

The average middle class home was:

1) Male dominated (Corporation, Hollywood portrayed this with leading men and “dumb blondes” for women)

2) Baby Boom kept mothers at home (“Baby and Child Care” by Benjamin Spock)

3) Religious (new importance of religion and decrease in academic importance, higher church attendance)

The Counterculture in the 1950s

The silent majority in the 1950s reveled in the new booming society, but many novelists and critics were upset by the new ideals of the 1950s, and they were:

1) Academics – Reisman (sociologist – against conformity), Galbraith (economist – wrote “Affluent Society”, stressed lack of wealthy American’s concern for others)

2) Novelists – struggles against conformity (Sallinger’s “Catcher in the Rye” and Heller’s “Catch-22”)

3) “Beatniks” – the new “beat” generation advocated rebellious actions against society which led to the 60s movement (Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg)

The Other America

Michael Harrington – The Other America

Despite the positive growth for most Americans, one-fifth of America was living in poverty and struggling to survive, as outlined in Michael Harrington’s book, “The Other America”

The Civil Rights Movement

Rosa Parks and MLK Jr.

African Americans struggled against discrimination (including segregation, literacy tests, poll taxes, grandfather clauses) but took many steps in the 50s by starting the civil rights movement, which happened because of:

1) Cold War democracy (US needs to win over Africa and Asia and must be accepting of other races)

2) Non-violent actions preached by Martin Luther King and the SCLC (Woolworth’s sit-in) and the actions of Rosa Parks (Montgomery Bus Boycott)

3) Actions taken by Eisenhower (Little Rock Nine and the Civil Rights Acts)

Latinos and Native AmericansLatinos were discriminated against due to the bracero program that kept wages low on the farms, so many moved to the cities to find jobs (like the African-Americans, they organized groups for civil rights but had limited success)

Native Americans were the poorest group during the 1950s due to the new “termination policy” which eliminated federal services to them and broke up their reservations to get resources, and many could not get jobs in the US

DBQ – The 50s Culture• For the following DBQ, create a thesis and three

opening paragraph statements and a conclusion. Then, put each document/quote under one of the three paragraphs and write a sentence on how that relates to the paragraph (should have at least 2 per paragraph) and then list 2 outside information specifics under each paragraph.

• DBQ: Assess the major trends in culture during the 1950s and whether or not they benefited society.