The Eisenhower Years

1
The Eisenhower Years
Smiling Ike

• Section 16.3

2
Why was Eisenhower an unusual presidential
candidate?
Ike, ecstatic, in victory parade
3
Why was Eisenhower an unusual presidential
candidate?

• Supreme Allied Commander in Europe
• Led D-Day invasion
• Had never seen combat
• Never voted
• Only began to study US history/economics after
  the war
• Handpicked by Republicans because he was popular

Above Ike exhorts the troops below Ike the
candidate emerges from the campaign plane
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(No Transcript)
5
Who was Ikes Opponent in the 1952 presidential
election?

• Adlai E. Stevenson of Illinois
• A liberal intellectual
• Eloquent speaker but seemed out of touch with
  common people
• Called egghead by Republicans
• Tainted with Trumans unpopularity

Above Adlai Stevenson below Stevenson accepts
his partys nomination
6
Who was Ikes Running mate and what was the
Checkers speech?

• Richard M. Nixon
• Experienced politician and reputation of
  communist fighter
• Pumpkin Papers
• Accused of accepting illegal campaign
  contributions which paid for a luxurious
  lifestyle
• Nix went on TV and denied accusation
• Admitted to accepting one gift
• A dog named Checkers
• Convinced Americans that he would be an honest
  vice president

Above Nixon giving Checkers speech below Nixon
with Checkers
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Checkers
Nixon giving Checkers speech
8
Describe Ikes Campaign.

• Organized and efficient
• Speeches full of platitudes
• Were going to clean up the mess in Washington
• Promised to end Korean War
• We Like Ike
• Won a landslide victory

Above and below Ike campaign posters
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Eisenhower Wins!
10
Describe Eisenhowers style of management.

• Consensus decision making
• Based on group (cabinet) decisions, not just his
  own
• Delegated
• Ike only focused on big picture issues
• Left the details and execution to others
• Admired Business Principles
• Corporate execs appointed to key posts
• Somewhat laissez-faire
• Privatization
• Tried to turn government control of TVA to
  private business
• Atomic Energy Act of 1954
• Allowed private companies to operate nuclear
  power plants

Above Cabinet meeting in Eisenhower
administration below nuclear power plants
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Ike as President
Capture Huge crowd for Ike
12
Describe Ikes Second Term.

• Democrats regained control of Congress (56)
• Launched Explorer I (1/31/58)
• 4 months after Sputnik
• Created National Aeronautics and Space
  Administration (NASA)
• National Highway Act (56)
• Costs 80 billion
• Extended Social Security and Unemployment
  insurance
• Increased minimum wage (.75 to 1)

Above U.S. rocket below incredibly aged and
sad Eisenhower
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Ikes Second Term
Ike waves and smiles over economic policy
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Ikes Farewell Address

• Farwell address warned against the influence of
  the military industrial complex
• 2007 626.1 billion
• Includes military budget of Department of Defense
• War in Iraq
• Nuclear weapons research
• Infrastructure of military bases
• 47 of the Worlds Total military spending

Graph shows growth of government
15
Who were the candidates in the 1960 election?

• John F. Kennedy
• Democrat
• Catholic
• Came from wealth and privilege
• anticommunist
• War hero
• Seemed much younger

• Richard M. Nixon
• Republican
• Protestant
• Came from Common background
• anticommunist politician
• War hero
• Experienced politician

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Why were the Nixon-Kennedy Debates important in
the 1960 election?

• 1st presidential debate ever
• Kennedy looked better on TV
• Wore make-up
• Looked polished
• Nixon
• Sweating problem, leg injury
• Radio listeners thought Nix won
• Closest election in history
• Kennedy won by about 100 thousand votes (69
  million casts)

Above Nixon shakes JFKs hand before debate
below during one of the debates
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The Election of 1960
JFK campaigns