Harry Truman vs Dwight Eisenhower Presidents of the

Harry Truman vs. Dwight Eisenhower Presidents of the Cold War:

The Election of 1948 Truman’s Goals: 1. ) Stop Communism 2. )Restore Economy Ø “Do nothing 80 th” Ø Truman limited by Republican majority rule in the House and Senate. Publicly criticizes the 80 th Congress. 1948 Election: o Harry Truman (D) o Thomas Dewey (R) o Strom Thurmond (Dixiecrats) v What do you think are some PROS/CONS of a third party being involved? Ø Truman’s re-election: Launches “Whistle Stop Campaigns”, “Do Nothing 80 th”, and “Give’ em hell Harry”

The Fair Deal • Along with historic victory came a resurgence of the Democratic party. • Democrats regained control of both houses of Congress. • State of the Union: “Every segment of our population and every individual has a right to expect from government a fair deal. ”

What Did the Fair Deal Do? v. Successes v. Failures Ø Minimum wage increased from 40 cents to 75 cents. Ø Social Security coverage was extended. Ø Slums were cleared out and low-income housing was created. Ø Nationwide Health Insurance. Ø Subsidizing income for farmers. Ø (Neither are passed) Ø With his popularity low in 1951 after the Korean War, Mc. Carthyism and the weakening economy, Truman decides not to run for re-election.

The Election of 1952 • “I Like Ike” • Eisenhower emerges as the wartime hero. • Runs as the Republican candidate • Faces Democrat Adlai Stevenson. • Won the under the adopted Republican slogan, “It’s time for change. ” • Dynamic Conservatism: Transformation to Modern Republicanism ü Looked to balance budget and cut taxes ü Raised the minimum wage and extended Social Security and unemployment benefits. ü Created Highways ü Invested in Health, Education and Welfare.

Class Activity: Compare and Contrast • Truman’s Fair Deal: • Eisenhower’s Dynamic Conservatism:

Eisenhower’s “New Look” • A Cold War Soldier: • Eisenhower looked to focus on both the military and the economy to win the Cold War. • Developed a “New Look” defense policy that highlighted using atomic weapons rather than a large expensive army. • Provided, “More Bang for the Buck. ” • Massive Retaliation

The Space Race • The Sputnik Crisis • NASA- National Aeronautics and Space Administration § § Americans fear that the United States is falling behind in scientific research. Eisenhower isn’t worried about the Soviets, “putting one small ball into the air. ”

Foreign Policy in the 1950’s • Brinkmanship • Eisenhower’s policy to go to threaten the brink of nuclear warfare in order to maintain peace. • This worried some people who believed the tactic was too dangerous. • This tactic was effective for Eisenhower in ending the Korean War and solving the Taiwan Crisis by getting China to back down. • This policy also served to escalate the Cold War hype with the Soviets. • CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) • Used to prevent Communist uprisings in other countries. • Covert or hidden operations mostly took place in developing nations. • These were nations with primarily agricultural societies.

“Peaceful Coexistence” • Soviets invade Hungary • 1956: Nikita Khrushchev emerges as new Soviet leader after Stalin’s death in 1953.