Dwight David Eisenhower was the third son of seven born to David and Ida Eisenhower on the 14th of October, 1890. He was born in a town in Texas, USA called Dension, he grew up in a poor household in Abilene, Kansas, USA. He went to West Point Academy where he trained as an officer and learnt mathematics, geography, physics and chemistry. After he graduated, he joined Infantry* and was stationed Fort Sam Houston in Texas. Where he met his wife, Mamie Doud. He had two sons Doud Dwight who passed away when he was 3 years old because of scarlet fever and John Sheldon. He was stationed across the United States and in various other countries in his lifetime and served two full terms as the president of the United States. On March 28th of 1969, he passed away. *Infantry: a branch of the army where they go on foot to military combat
wHAT WERE THE uNITED sTATES' FOREIGN pOLICIES?
To begin with, the making of the foreign policies require the executive, legislative and judicial branches of the government. The president uses information given to him by the National Security Council which is made out of the Vice President, secretaries of both state and defense, the head of the CIA and the highest military advisor of the nation. They provide him with information about the effect of the policies on the nation’s economy and military. The senate contributes to the decision making of the president in terms of treaties and ambassadors. He also carries out meetings with the other countries’ rulers. In addition to that, the state department provides the foreign policies for the world. Congress decides on the foreign exports and imports and when/where to declare war. “It sets quotas on immigration, chooses which countries will benefit for most favored nation status in trade agreements, votes on foreign aid and sets the defense budget” (America's Foreign Policy: A Brief History) In the 1950’s, the Domino theory was introduced by Dwight D Eisenhower. After the idea that ‘Indochina’ was going to fall into the hands of communism, Eisenhower commenced the “falling domino” principle. During that time, Vietnam had gone to war with France and Eisenhower had envisioned that if Vietnam were to become a communist nation. That would cause the rest of Asia to lose to communism which caused Eisenhower to say “the possible consequences of loss of Indochina are just incalculable to the free world” Therefore, they followed the foreign policies which were*:
Preserving the national security of the United States.
Promoting world peace and A secure global environment
Maintaining a balance of power among nations
Working with allies to solve international problems
Promoting democratic values and human rights
Furthering cooperative foreign trade and global involvement in international trade organizations
*According to ushistory.org
What organization(s) was Dwight Eisenhower involved in?
NATO He managed to strengthen NATO with the Secretary of State John Foster Dulles and also created the SEATO: Southeast Asia Treaty Organization. He became the supreme commander and would give operational commands to forces in Europe. NATO was formed in 1949 and was an organization that involved certain countries. They all had a mutual pact to fight against the USSR and the Eastern bloc.
General Dwight Eisenhower talking to the soldiers of World War 2 on D-Day
Potsdam Conference, Military Life and Presidency The Potsdam Conference was the conference that was held to negotiate the conditions of the end of World War 2. Eisenhower during that time was a general. He was one of the people who had been against the use of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He had insisted that Japan was going to surrender along with the fact that this would hurt the US’ reputation in the international society. Solely because the US had a high reputation as it had made a strong economic comeback. Eisenhower was stationed many places, he was promoted to captain as World War 1 had erupted. He was stationed in Fort Oglethorpe in Georgia to train candidates. He was later promoted to lieutenant colonel, and was ready to fight in France but the Germans had already signed the Armistice. Resulting in the extinction of World War 1 and his position back to major. A position he held for 16 years. Eisenhower was assigned to Fort Leavenworth, Camp Meade and Camp Colt. In Camp Meade, Maryland he would command combat tanks and continued his education there, he became an expert in tank warfare. He served as a battalion commander at a fort in Georgia named Benning. As most of his friends moved into business by the late 1920’s Eisenhower worked as the executive assistant of General George Assistant Secretary of war. The years following that, he mostly planned for the next war. The next war was World War 2. Where he served as a lieutenant colonel and general. He attended the Geneva Conference where he made a proposal that had strategies for both the Soviet Union and the United States. From 1953 to 1961 he ran as the 34th president of the United States. Using the campaign: ‘I like Ike’. Because he was a supreme commander for NATO, he refused to run for president as he only wanted to focus on NATO. But after Senator Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. started a “Eisenhower for President” drive making Eisenhower announce that he was in the Republican party and was ‘ready to serve the people of these United States’ Eisenhower had many campaign problems and complications with President Truman. He was a very popular president during his terms because of his confidence and tactics.
2 Significant Individuals
Senator John F. Dulles
John Foster Dulles He was the Secretary of State during Eisenhower’s presidency. He was the one who influenced Eisenhower’s New Look foreign policy. The New Look foreign policy consisted of the national security policy of the United States. It was Eisenhower’s main concern to ensure a balance between the military commitments in the Cold War and the country’s financial stability. Dulles also used the policy to focus on using nuclear weapons largely and was in favor of using the nuclear weapons against the communists of Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam.
Former USSR Leader Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Khrushchev Leader of the USSR and the head of the Soviet Communist Party from the late 1950’s to the early 1960’s. He travelled to the United States and met personally with Eisenhower in Camp David. The tension of both countries increased after the U-2 incident and the Cuban Missile Crisis. Along with that, Khrushchev always rejected the plans and proposals that Eisenhower suggests to improve the conditions and use of nuclear weapons.
What did Dwight Eisenhower do in the Cold War that made him so significant?
After the death of Joseph Stalin in 1953, Eisenhower gave a speech famously known as “chance of peace” where he attempted to prevent a nuclear arms race with Russia. He had suggested peaceful ways to use the nuclear weapons, his idea was rejected after the successful testing of a Soviet Union hydrogen bomb. Once again, in a UN speech called “Atoms for Peace” he proposed that the use of nuclear weapons should be avoided. The Soviets never acted upon the agreement. This proposal became more of an arms control policy than a disarmament. Mostly because when it came to the inspections the Russians refused them. Trying one last time, Eisenhower provided a proposal that involved suggestion for the Russians and the United States but was instantly rejected by Nikita Khrushchev the successor of Joseph Stalin. In addition to that, Eisenhower had licensed the CIA: Central Intelligence Agency to conduct operations against communism in other countries. Resulting in the overthrow of two governments, the Iranian government in Operation Ajax of 1953 and Guatemalan government in Operation Pbsuccess in 1954. After his idea of the domino theory, the loss of North Vietnam to communists devastated Eisenhower but he was still determined to save Indochina. Which was why he wanted to increase supervision on the Soviet Union by authorizing the release of 30 Lockheed U2’s. They were also known as Dragon Ladies single jets that are flown by the Central Intelligence Agency. Furthermore, Eisenhower and his administration had also initiated the plan to overthrow Fidel Castro in the Bay of Pigs Invasion in Cuba but he left it to John. F Kennedy to execute.
How did Dwight Eisenhower’s decision making on the US policies impact the results of the countries involved after the cold war?
This map shows the military bases and troops outside of the United States
By following the foreign policies, Eisenhower managed to keep the United States as a superpower. After the termination of the Soviet Union, the United States remained and had a powerful political and military role. In 1989, the United States had military alliances with nearly 50 countries. They had 326,000 military troops in Europe alone, mostly in West Germany. 130,000 troops in Japan and South Korea, making it a total of 456,000 troops. The foreign policies also introduced military funding on sciences and the peak of using military alliances as peace treaties.
How did the climate of the Cold War contribute to the development and position of Dwight Eisenhower?
The Cold War contributed to the development and position of Dwight Eisenhower by helping to promote him to Lieutenant colonel so that he is able to organize the troops and oversee any complications. This position allowed him to use the skills and knowledge that he had gained from his prior years of learning. He was able to bring together the policies, find connections and provide peaceful solutions to prevent any chaos from happening.