Dwight+Eisenhower

Dwight Eisenhower (1890 - 1969)

Significant Contributions: 34th President of USA (1953 - 1961), 5 Star General of the US Army, President of Columbia University (1948), Supreme Commander of NATO (1950).

Key Ideas: During his time as President, Eisenhower expanded the new Social Security network across the US. As a conservative Republican, he authorized and begun the Interstate Highway System under the reasoning that it would improve production, and during the Cold War, if major cities were under attack, civilians needed to be evacuated quickly, whilst allowing troops to move in. He perceived communism to be a monolithic force, which under the Stalin was trying to orchestrate a world wide revolution.

Key Influence on Ways of Thinking: Under his administration, propaganda was heavily used, carving the Americans to be anti-communist. Eisenhower would often aid countries who were fighting communism, though he was always reluctant to use nuclear weapons. The idea of "massive retaliation" in the case of an attack was another idea of Eisenhower's.

Link to Texts: The Spy Who Came in From the Cold - Eisenhower often relied and called upon the CIA to take on assasinations and other forms of espionage in countries such as Japan, Cuba (Bay of Pigs training + paying mafia to assassinate Fidel), and the Congo. Catch 22 - Eisenhower had served in WWII. His experience in the War ultimately gave him the character to progress in his political and military career.

Pat McIlvin