1. How did Eisenhower steer a middle-of-the-road course in his domestic policies? What did he

mean when he called his philosophy "dynamic conservatism"  and "modern Republicanism"? What

style did Eisenhower adopt as an executive?

During the campaign of 1952, Eisenhower criticized the statist or big government programs of

Truman's Fair Deal, yet he did not share the extreme views of some Republican conservatives.

These 'Old Guard' Republicans talked about eliminating not just Fair Deal but also New Deal

programs and rolling back government regulation of the economy. Eisenhower favored a more

moderate course, one that he called Modern Republicanism, which preserved individual freedom

and the market economy yet insured that government would provide necessary assistance to

workers who had lost their jobs or to senior citizens. He intended to lead the country 'down

the middle of the road between the unfettered power of concentrated wealth . . . and the

unbridled power of statism or partisan interests.'

As President, Eisenhower thought that government should provide some additional benefits to

the American people. He signed legislation that expanded Social Security, increased the

minimum wage, and created the Department of Health, Education and Welfare. He also supported

government construction of low-income housing but favored more limited spending than had

Truman.

Although he maintained a conservative economic policy, he continued all the major New Deal

programs still in operation, especially Social Security. He expanded its programs and rolled

them into a new cabinet level agency, the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, while

extending benefits to an additional 10 million workers. His cabinet, consisting of several

corporate executives and one labor leader, was dubbed by one journalist, "Eight millionaires

and a plumber."

Domestically, Eisenhower introduced the term Modern Republicanism. It was based on the idea of

programs to help the poor and aged, while trying to limit the powers of central government.

Under Eisenhower, Social Security and unemployment insurance were extended into additional

millions. Simultaneously, Eisenhower attempted to direct many new initiatives in state and

local governments.

Eisenhower's strength as a political leader rested almost entirely upon his disinterestedness

and his integrity. He had little taste for political maneuvers and was never a strong

partisan. His party, which attained a majority in both houses of Congress in 1952, lost

control in 1954, and for 6 of 8 years in office the President was compelled to rely upon both

Democrats and Republicans. His personal qualities, however, made this easier than it might

have been.

Eisenhower did not conceive of the presidency as a positive executiveship, as has been the

view of most of the great U.S. presidents. His personal philosophy was never very clearly

defined. He was not a dynamic leader; he took a position in the center and drew his strength

from that. In domestic affairs he was influenced by his strong and able secretary of the

Treasury, George Humphrey. In foreign affairs he leaned heavily upon his secretary of state,

John Foster Dulles. He delegated wide powers to those he trusted; in domestic affairs his

personal assistant, Sherman Adams, exercised great influence. In a sense, Eisenhower's stance

above the "battle" no doubt made him stronger.






2. Describe the United States' involvement in Vietnam and the Middle East in the 1950s.

Explain the domino theory and the Eisenhower Doctrine.


3. What kinds of dissent existed in the supposedly placid, homogeneous 1950s? Refer

specifically to novelists, Beat writers, rock-and-roll, and youth rebellion.






4. In what ways did the Cold WAr affect American Life as decisively as any military engagement

that the nation had ever fought? Discuss, for example, the impact of and on the following: the

military; American's views of their role in the world; domestic politics, political parties,

New Deal liberalism, and American conservatism; civil liberties; and learning to live in a

nuclear age.

To respond to this threat, and reacting to the many Communist moles that had penetrated the

defense and intelligence departments during the War, the government reasonably decided to take

action by curtailing certain civil liberties: freedom of speech was redefined to prevent

Communist activists from using it as a cloak with which to mask revolutionary activities; the

Federal Bureau of Investigation and investigative committees of Congress kept tabs on

suspected Red sympathizers; and loyalty checks were sporadically used to root-out Communist

infiltrators. As time went on and the Russian threat decreased, however, these infractions

into American civil liberties became egregiously, and unnecessarily, obtrusive. Led by Senator

Joseph McCarthy, politicians began using the Americans' fear of Communism as a means for their

own self-aggrandizement.

Congress and the Executive Branch also passed several laws and implemented regulations to

counter Communist revolutionaries. The Smith Act, passed in 1940, prohibited speech that

advocated the forcible overthrowing of the government. The Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 was aimed

at preventing Communist supporters in organized labor from using general strikes to overthrow

the government. The Internal Security Act (1950) closed existing loopholes in security

regulations and required all members of the Communist Party to register themselves to the

government. The McCarran-Walter Act of 1952 set strict quota restrictions and allowed

officials to deport suspected Red sympathizers more easily (Belfrage XIII-XIV)/(Police State

9)/(The Anti-Communist Law 22)/(In the American Way E10).

The other anti-Communism legislation passed by Congress in the early years of the Cold War

begins to show a trend towards over-inflation of the Communist threat (now diminishing—the

major spy rings had all been broken up, and the Communist Party was a walking corpse) for the

furtherance of other goals. The Taft-Hartley Act, though aimed at protecting the American

economy from Communist-instigated general strikes (which occurred in both France and Italy),

also had the effect of curtailing organized labor, giving the president that power to issue

stop strikes. The other two laws, the Internal Security and McCarran-Walter Acts, were even

more egregious in their restriction of civil liberties. In the first, important loopholes were

closed in existing espionage, deportation and sabotage law. However, this came at the expense

of severely restricting American freedom of thought. All members of the Communist Party had to

register themselves to the federal government, persecuting the ideology Communism, not the

violent proponents of it. In the second, Congress concealed a hidden anti-immigrant agenda

behind a supposed effort to prevent the "influx of Communists". The only true result that

McCarran-Walter brought about was to slow the emigration of the "undesirable" types (read

Southern and Eastern Europeans) that American "Nativists" had always loathed (The Anti-

Communist Law 22)/(In the American Way E10)/(Police State 9).






5. What were the causes of the Korean War? How did it affect American foreign policy? What

precedents did it set? What was the significance of the conflict between president Truman and

General MacArthur?

The Korean War is considered as an escalation of  civil war between two rival Korean regimes,

supported by external powers. The causes of the war were as follows:
- Toppling of the political governments.
- Refusal of South Korea to hold elections as per North Korea's demands.
The effects of the war were as follows:
-  The establishment of Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) which resulted in a few territorial

changes along the 38th parallel.

The Korean war was followed in accordance with the Truman Doctrine and NS68, which both

basically were ultimatums that the U.S.S.R. was trying to take over the world- and that the US

would help any country that was under the threat of falling under Soviet Communism. The war in

Korea made the US realise that affirmitive military action was the only way to win the war on

communism, and the war could not be fought half-heartedly. The War in Korea made the US

respect China as a military power to reckon with. All future diplomatic actions would take

China's reactions into consideration. An interesting note to make is that even though heavy,

agressive, carpet bombing did not work in Korea, it was still followed in the War in Vietnam.

A war, also called the Korean conflict, fought in the early 1950s between the United Nations,

supported by the United States, and the communist Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North

Korea). The war began in 1950, when North Korea invaded South Korea. The United Nations

declared North Korea the aggressor and sent military aid to the South Korean army. President

Harry S. Truman declared the war a “police action” because he never asked Congress to pass an

official declaration of war. He thereby established a precedent for President Lyndon Johnson,

who committed troops to the Vietnam War without ever seeking a congressional mandate for his

action.






6. What were the causes of the anticommunist hysteria that swept the nation in the late 1940s

and early 1950s? Why did McCarthyism recieve so much support?

-fear of disloyalty and communist influence- anticommunist hysteria
-FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover: claimed colleges were centers of red propaganda
-Truman’s Office of Education introduced “Zeal for Democracy” campaign: provided local school

boards with curriculum to combat communist subversion
-House Un-American Activities Committee: began hearings to expose communist influence
-Hollywood Ten: a group of prominent film directors and screenwriters who refused to say

whether they had been members of the Communist party; were convicted of contempt and sent to

prison

-personal attacks on individuals by means of indiscriminate allegations and unsubstantiated

charges
-“witch hunt” for Communists
-Joseph McCarthy- claimed he had a list of 205 names government officials who were communists;

use stream of unsupported accusations to discredit Truman administration
-Rise of McCarthy- widespread popularity; no one dared to oppose him
-McCarran Internal Security Act (1950): made it unlawful to advocate or support the

establishment of a totalitarian government; restricted employment and travel of those joining

Communist-front organizations; authorized creation of detention camps for subversives