Change of Culture1952

Eisenhower administration and the affluent society

• Dynamic conservatism-Fiscal conservatism, socially liberal

• Kept New Deal programs- Dept. of Health, Education and welfare

• Interstate Highway Act, St Lawrence Seaway

• GI Bill of Rights-Fear of repeating WWI experience again

• Gave money to go to school (universities swelled)

• Productivity increases-Economic boom• VA-Gave aid to buy a home, start a business,

farm

Conformity

• Baby Boom-Soldiers came home, had children

• Cult of Dom. reemerges-(BIW) Women should be homemakers

• National income doubled-Rest of the world was destroyed

• Consumerism exploded-'keeping up with the Jones'

• Television Age, Rock and Roll

• Migration to suburbs

Anti-conformist• The Beat generation "Beatniks" -rebelled

against conformity• Jack Kerouac - On the Road• Jackson Pollok – no form or function• Allen Ginsburg – Howl• J.D. Salinger – Catcher in the Rye

• anti-hero (Holden Caulfield

Cold War Spreads

• Foreign Policy-John Foster Dulles-Rollback (1949) instead of containment

• Use nuclear weapons/airpower and new tech. not ground troops

• Threaten Massive retaliation• Encourage liberation of Eastern Europe• Massive Retaliation to any Soviet or Chinese

aggression

• Radio Free Europe

We’re all going to DIE!!!!• Brinkmanship-Never back

down• Mutually assured destruction-

No winner in nuclear war• Nuclear Triad

• Did not respond to Hungary 1956

Fight Communism not Spread Democracy• Khrushchev began aiding

revolutions in LDCs• US had to support colonialism,

Imperialism• Iran

• Supported non democratic governments (anti-communist)

• Guatemala

Sputnik • Soviets launch Sputnik

1957• National Defense Education

Act (NDEA)• Millions to schools and

universities for math, science, and foreign language

• National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) created to help bridge the gap

Begins meeting with Khrushchev

• Nixon Kitchen debates, Geneva summit

• Suez Crises 1956- Israel to return Suez Canal

• Anwan Damn, Nasser• Oil embargo• UN – both denounce invasion

• 2 Superpowers

• U-2 incident 1960-Soviets shoot down US spy plane

• Eisenhower farewell address-warns of danger of Industrial Complex

1960s Politics• New Left- efficient government

could solve social problems, grow the economy, promote equality, advance freedoms

• Students for a Democratic Society• Thomas Hayden-Port Huron

Statement• Expansion of democracy• Free Speech Movement (64)

• New Right- less government, less spending, and less taxes, stronger national defense, return to traditional values.

Kennedy Presidency "Camelot"

• Nixon v. Kennedy-Closest popular vote ever

• Kennedy had to defend his Catholicism• First televised debates

• "New Frontier"-Equality, employment, aid for needy, space program

• Calls for Civil Rights Bill

Foreign Policy

• Flexible response-Use more conventional forces

• Peace Corps-LDC's tired of Cold War

• Berlin Wall• Stop emigration out of

communist countries

Cubin Missile Crisis• Castro seizes Cuba

• US tries to remove-Assassinate• Bay of Pigs

• USSR places missiles on Cuba• U2 Spy Plane locates• Quarantine• Outcome

• USSR agrees to remove missiles • US removes missiles from Turkey,

pledges not to invade Cuba• Hot line is created between US and

USSR

Final Days

• Nuclear Test Ban Treaty• Assassinated 1963-

Warren Commission states single shooter