By the time Dwight “Ike” Eisenhower decided to run for president in 1952, he had been courted for the position for almost ten years (Reeves). Although some would describe him as “no fire-eater, but...a rather simple man,” he swept the election, capturing 55.4 percent of total votes, a testament to his incredible popularity (Patterson 245, 260). This was largely a result of the meticulous care he took in his campaign; “he surrounded himself with more professional advertising and public relations experts than had any presidential candidate in American history, and by 1955 he used TV as much as he could to promote himself and his policies” (247). Additionally, Eisenhower was “a painstaking and often stern editor,” opting for more straightforward …show more content…
Instead, his administration would rush to “establish its anti-Communist credentials,” beginning with the signing of Korean Armistice six months after his taking office (261). In the summer of 1950, the Korean War erupted into an international conflict, aided by the Soviet Union (Millett). By the signing of the Armistice, “more than a million combat casualties were suffered on both sides” (Millett). Korea was observed as another Communist threat, so even before Eisenhower was in office, he promised to take “a personal trip to Korea” and “to bring the Korean war to an early and honorable end”–and so he did (Patterson 260). He spent three days in Korea after the election and signed a ceasefire on July 27, 1953 …show more content…
In his mind, the defense of the nation greatly outweighed advancements in space technology, and he “[refused] to be panicked by Sputnik, [insisting] on...the doctrine of “sufficiency;” essentially, he believed that America’s military was enough and that nuclear weapons were best used as a backup option or last resort (420). Of course, there was no harm in taking extra measures and appealing to the public every now and again; Eisenhower allowed the formation of the National Aeronautics and Space Agency and later, the passing of the National Defense Education Act (420-421). Additionally, despite his confidence in American capabilities, he still feared provoking the Soviet Union into putting even more force behind their military and technological advances and was cautious in just how much he revealed to the public about “the nature of America’s superiority in missiles and nuclear weaponry” (421). In his careful handling of “the Sputnik ‘crisis,’” Eisenhower was able to alleviate any pressure on the Soviet Union, but the same could not be said about the fears of Americans (421-422). When America had to play catch-up in space technology and when Eisenhower minced the details on American nuclear superiority, he barely “half-succeeded” in allaying American fears (422). Unfortunately, this was only one of many issues that Eisenhower faced before the end of his time
Now that after America and the Soviet Union where both partaking in the space race they both had suspicions about each other. Eisenhower, on the other hand, saw satellites as “pointless unless they provided something useful back on Earth” (DeGroot 5). “ A spy satellite, on the other hand, could provide accurate pictures of Soviet military capabilities, thus enabling the United States to spend its defense budget wisely, without wasting huge sums on challenging phantom forces” (DeGroot 5). America was worried about the Soviets spying on America because of security issues so America wanted to pursue on building themselves a satellite to “provide accurate pictures of Soviet military capabilities” (DeGroot 5). The only problem was that “ Flying over another nation’s territory without permission was, however, illegal under international law. What was not clear was whether the law applied to satellites” (DeGroot 5). America and the Soviets were in a battle to see which world power could be the best. The
John Foster Dulles, Eisenhower’s Secretary of State, reported in June 1954 that the possible spread of communism into South America could be absolutely detrimental and devastating to the United States (Doc B). Though Dulles is rallying the American people to the cause of containment, he is also making them realize that the expansion of communism is right at their footsteps, intensifying fears in the long run. And while increased defense spending and better protection may cause Americans to feel safer, the new modernized era of intercontinental ballistic missiles would change the face of foreign policy, homeland security, and national safety forever. A 1958 Washington Post cartoon ridiculing the grand commitment to missile programs during the Cold War brings to light the public and governmental “hysteria” pertaining the looming missile race (Doc F). The cartoon emphasizes on the lack of government focus on other things like welfare programs, civilian services, and space development, which can be linked to the launching of the Sputnik satellite in 1957. When Eisenhower left office and John F. Kennedy became president in 1961, Kennedy gave a tantamount inaugural address in which he underscored the new missile race and missile program focus that the United States had taken on in the previous
In June 1950, 90,000 soldiers from the communist Korean People’s Army crossed the 38th Parallel into South Korea. The most important reason for a military response from the US was the document NSC 68, which stated that they must meet communism wherever it arises. Due to this document, it was the US assumption that the invasion on South Korea was not a Civil War due to the events in Korea, and the permanent divide in 1948. However, there was also US domestic policies, and Truman’s fear of being accused of being ‘soft on communism,’ as well as the US based organisation, the UN, which was a new institution, which Truman had to support. Furthermore, containment in Europe and Asia and the
They sent troops to aid North Korea and pushed the troops back to the 38th parallel, where there was a stalemate for two years, as the United States changed presidents and continued to come up short in negotiations (History.com Staff, n.d.). President Eisenhower, stayed true to his campaign promise and ended the Korean War through diplomacy and an armistice. Dwight D. Eisenhower felt this was his greatest accomplishment of his presidency. Although the actual nature of diplomacy between the United States and North Korea came in the form of nuclear threats. Eisenhower wrote in his diaries that: “…atomic threat was the key to achieving an armistice. It forced the Chinese and North Koreans to choose between peace or an expanded, and perhaps atomic, conflict” (Ferrell, 1981). These actions brought an end to the war, that resulted in many lives saved, and he did not have to resort to using the full force of the United States weapon arsenal. Showcasing that a great general, could also achieve victory through political talks and signing of the armistice. Moving on from ending a war, president Eisenhower laid the foundation and executed completion of the vast Interstate System we still use to this day. The end result of being the world’s largest Interstate System.
After the ravages of World War II, the United States experienced a long period of economic boom, thanks to industrial weapons work and to the low price of oil. At the same time, under this nationwide economic prosperity, Americans felt increasing fear in the looming shadow of the communist Soviet Union. The US seemed to be in a spiral. Sputnik’s successful launch increased tensions that had been building since the aftermath of World War II; while President Eisenhower and his administration instituted numerous measures to calm down the hysteria that pervaded the US, these attempts had no real effect on de-escalating tensions felt between both sides.
During the presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower, the American people were frightened of the thought of the Cold War due to the fear of Communism. With the rising threat from the Red Scare many Americans condemned Communist, identifying spies in unjust ways. The government took to finding the spies a step too far, violating civil liberties. The American people, fearing the spread of communism, wished to eliminate the threat by decreasing the establishment of communist uprisings. With the formation of the iron curtain, the Soviet Union created a rift, expanding their communist beliefs.
D. Eisenhower was a prominent US army commander during the Second World War. After the Second World War, he left the army to be the president of the Columbia University. He was later nominated as the Republican candidate for the presidential election of 1952 which he won to become the 34th president of the United States (Dwight, 1960). During his administration, the cold war between the US, Russia, and China was quite intensive but despite that, his administration was able to thrive. Dwight D. Eisenhower was a behind the scene president and stayed out of politics which made him not so famous in the past but in the recent decades, his reputation has become prominent. His absence out of politics made most people perceive that he
I decided to write this biography on a man that was a hero both on the battlefield and in the office. Dwight Eisenhower can be said one of the greatest president being a man who was born into poverty as an immigrant to the president of the United states. In the middle he was a five star general leading troops against the nazis.
He said this because he cared about real people. “Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies in the final sense a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed,” he said. These are all qualities that made Dwight Eisenhower such a dominant historical figure for people everywhere. In his own words, “This world of ours… must avoid becoming a community of dreadful fear and hate, and be, instead of a proud confederation of mutual trust and respect.” This shows that Eisenhower thoroughly believed in the power of the American people, and how if they trust and respect each other, can carry out great things.
At the beginning of Eisenhower's first term, Korea and China were both faced with a conflict which spanned over three years and cost thousands of U.S.
Amidst these, cold war fears re-emerged when in 1956 Soviet Union invaded Hungary after its withdrawal from Warsaw Pact and in the same year space race began when Soviet launched Sputnik I into space. Though the communist presence of J.Edgar Hoover loomed, and with the public demise of McCarthy in 1954, the paranoia and Red baiting of the early decade ebbed. Halliwell rightly quotes Ronald J. Oakley who in his book God’s Country: America in the 50’s calls it “a period of paradoxes”, and “fidgety mix of anxiety and relaxation, sloth and achievement, complacency and self-criticism” (49). After Soviet Union exploded atomic weapon in 1949 soon after World War II, it made Americans wondering about Soviet espionage and the nation was gripped by fear “Better dead than Red” the anti-communist slogan that was in rife during World
German dictator, Adolf Hitler had a vision of the German people becoming a master race and dominating the world. As the leader of the Nazi Party, Hitler had two major goals which were to bring all of central Europe together to form a larger Germany and to create more room for Germany to grow by taking over Poland. Hitler initiated World War II with the invasion in September 1939.
In his first State of the Union address in February 1953, Dwight D. Eisenhower’s said the following:
Namely, President Roosevelt suggested a trusteeship in Korea whereby four countries (including China) would help Korea to manage its internal affairs for twenty to thirty years. Stalin accepted this proposal without going any further into the subject (A.A.Gromyko, 1979, pp. 140-142). As a later result, the US-USSR agreement on respective spheres of influence in Korea divided Korea by means of the 38th parallel where the northern part ended up under the Soviet 's control while the Americans controlled the South (Lowe, 1986, p. 19). This demarcation very much shaped the future of Korea actually dividing the world and significantly contributing to the development of the painful conflict between the Southern and the Northern part of one country also known as the Korean War.
During the Cold War there was a race to space between the US and USSR. The USSR would be the first to reach space but the US followed very quickly. He seemed to tune out the history lesson as he watches Neil Armstrong take those fateful steps out of the rocket onto the moon saying those unforgettable words, “One small step for man; one giant leap for mankind.” Just like that he was back. Without missing a beat, this would be the nail in the coffin for the USSR as their money would be placed into a hopeless space race for which they had already lost. “Why would they keep trying if the race was over? Do they not understand they had lost?”