Eisenhower Administration 1953-1957
Dwight Eisenhower’s second term as President would prove much more controversial than his first term at the time, although modern historians tend to rank him fairly well in what he was able to accomplish. Much like his first term, it was widely dominated by foreign policy, though he was able to make quite a few changes domestically, such as establishing the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare and the appointment of Earl Warren to be Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (who would oversee the ruling in
Brown v. Board of Education).
Very early in his second term, Joseph Stalin would die and a power struggle would emerge in the Soviet Union. In the end, it would be Nikita Khrushchev who would become the new leader of the USSR, which would eventually begin the split between the Soviet Union and the People’s Republic of China (a relationship already strained by the American victory in the Korean War).
Despite the relative victory in Korea, however, it would be the country that still dominated Eisenhower’s Presidency, as the presence of the United States military came uneasy to many who had lived in the North. Eisenhower would not withdraw the forces, however, causing tensions between the Korean-led elements of the new government and the United States military. As his Presidency wore on, the American people began to question why the military was still in the country, particularly as Kim Il-sung would seek permanent asylum in Moscow, abandoning his claims to lead Korea, in 1955. This question over the military in Korea would come to a climax when an aerial reconnaissance pilot would go down in Manchuria in early 1955. Originally, Eisenhower claimed the pilot had merely flown off course by accident, but an investigation would prove that the U.S. military was actually hosting a sustained surveillance effort in Northern China, which resulted in the Chinese capture of an American Airman.
In his second term, beyond Korea, the Eisenhower Doctrine and the attack on communism continued in full force. The 1953 Iranian Coup and Operation Ajax would see a socialist Prime Minister, though democratically elected, thrown out with the monarchy given more power in government. The “Fermosa Resolution” would give the President much sway in providing aid to the Republic of China, still recognized as the original China.
Perhaps most notably aside from Korea, however, was President Eisenhower’s decision to send in American troops to support France in keeping down Communism in Indochina, made in early 1954. While at first this decision was well liked by many Americans, as Korea continued to unease people, the American public also seemed to turn against the President for his sending more American troops into harm’s way. Though the majority of the American involvement came in the form of supplies and air support, the mere fact that there were American Marines in Southeast Asia was enough to draw the President’s actions into question.
This situation was not helped by the Army-McCarthy hearings, which occurred after Joseph McCarthy accused the Army of hiding Communists and Communists sympathizers, with a particular emphasis that many might be going to Korea or Indochina to defect. This attack solidly broke up any rapport that the President seemed to have with McCarthy (and indeed, he almost fired Ambassador Nixon over the events that transpired). Despite this, however, many in the public still associated the two men together, and when Senator McCarthy was censured it damaged the image of the President as well.
During his second term, President Eisenhower was able to work on much better terms in Congress than he had in his first term, particularly in 1953 and ’54. He would use this better working relationship to pass a number of laws that would seem to benefit businesses, much to the dismay of the Democrats and Labor Unions, even sparking strikes in 1953 and 1955 over what the President was calling for in domestic policy. And though many pushed him to tackle the issue of Civil Rights, particularly in his second term, his biggest contribution to the movement would be in his Supreme Court appointments.
In 1955, President Eisenhower would suffer a severe heart attack that nearly would take him out of office and the world. While he would recover, he and his doctors would handily rule out a bid for a third term, despite his eligibility to do so under the nuances of the 22nd Amendment. With this decision, many in his Administration expected Vice President Green would step up to run for the Party, but he insisted he had no real interest in the position. Thus, going into the election, the Republicans would be severely divided.
