Chapter 28
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dominated the political landscape during the 1950s
Military hero of WWII who commanded the Allied Forces landing in Africa and was the
supreme Allied commander as well as planner for Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of
Nazi-controlled Europe
First professional soldier since Ulysses S. Grant in 1868
Promised to restrain federal government and restore authority of state and local
governments
Promised to roll back Communism by bringing genuine independence to the captive
peoples of Eastern Europe
Promised to travel to Korea to secure an early and honorable end to the prolonged conflict
Elected in 1952 on his popularity as a war hero and promises to clean up Washington
Eisenhower Doctrine: promised to aid any nation against aggression by a communist nation
Ambitious running mate that Republicans chose to balance the ticket in 1952: Richard
Nixon
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39-year-old California Senator
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Aggressive anti-communist
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Pursuit of the Alger Hiss spying case brought him national prominence
President Eisenhower promoted moderate Republicanism, or “Dynamic Conservativism.”
While critical of excessive government spending on social programs, he expanded Social
Security coverage and launched ambitious public works programs, such as the Federal-Aid
Highway Act that constructed the Interstate Highway System
Truman
Served before Eisenhower during the Korean War
Corrupt lobbyists rigged military contracts for Korean War. Disclosure led Truman to fire 250
IRS employees
Federal-Aid Highway Act
Two huge construction projects launched under Eisenhower:
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St Lawrence Seaway: opened the Great Lakes to oceangoing ships
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Interstate Highway System:
Federal Aid Highway Act created a national network of interstate highways to serve the
needs of commerce and defense, as well as the public
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Funded largely by gasoline taxes
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Took 25 years to construct
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Largest federal project in history
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Stretched 47,000 miles
Postwar Prosperity
During the late 1940s and throughout the 1950s, white middle class Americans enjoyed
unprecedented economic growth
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Divorce and homicide rates fell
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People lived longer due to medical breakthroughs, including new antibiotics and the
polio vaccine
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Polio vaccine invented by Jonas Salk
High government spending during the postwar period
GI Bill of Rights boosted home buying and helped many veterans attend college and enter
the middle class
Consumer demand for homes, cars, and household goods fueled the economy
Consumer Culture
Society in which mass production and consumption of nationally advertised products comes
to dictate much of social life and status
GI Bill
1944 Bill of Rights which provided unemployment, education, and financial benefits for
WWII veterans to ease their transition back to the civilian world
Critics of mainstream culture in the 1950s
The Beats and many other writers and artists rebelled against what they claimed was the
