4/13 Cold War Tensions & American Life in the 1950s (Eisenhower Era)

Eisenhower Doctrine

U.S. gives economic/military aid to Middle East countries to stop communism

Kitchen Debate (1959)

Nixon vs Khrushchev; capitalism vs communism; televised propaganda battle

Khrushchev visit to U.S.

First Soviet leader visit; slight easing of tensions

Spirit of Camp David

Hope for better U.S.–USSR relations after meeting

U-2 Incident (1960)

U.S. spy plane shot down over USSR; pilot Gary Powers captured

Result of U-2

Tensions rise; peace talks collapse

Powers Exchange

U.S. trades Powers for Soviet spy Rudolf Abel

Eisenhower Farewell Address

Warns about “military-industrial complex”

Military-Industrial Complex

Relationship between military + defense industries influencing gov

Bretton Woods System

U.S. dollar becomes global standard; boosts economy

John Kenneth Galbraith – “Affluent Society”

U.S. wealthy but still has inequality

NASA

Created for space race; linked to Cold War missile tech

Automania

Car culture explodes in 1950s

Rachel Carson – “Silent Spring”

Exposes dangers of pesticides (DDT); start of environmental movement

Conformity & Consensus

1950s culture = fitting in, corporate life, strict norms (ex: IBM dress code)

Baby Boom (1946–1964)

Huge population growth (~76 million births)

Baby Boom Effects

Growth of suburbs, schools, consumer industries

“Pig in a Python”

Metaphor for how baby boom strains resources as it moves through society