American Experience . The Presidents . Dwight D. Eisenhower

The Election of 1952
General Dwight Eisenhower fought off Ohio Senator Robert Taft to gain the 1952 Republican nomination for president. Eisenhower, and his running mate, Richard Nixon, squared off against Illinois governor Adlai Stevenson. The Democrats had held the White House since 1933, and the Republicans contended that it was time for a change.

Here are some of the hot issues in the 1952 election... Choose the positions you favor:

McCarthyism
As Senator Joseph McCarthy conducted his crusade to purge communists from all branches of the U.S. government, politicians differed on how to best respond to him.

	Candidate #1: Openly criticizes McCarthy's tactics as a threat to basic American freedoms.
	Candidate #2: Feels that to openly criticize McCarthy would only give him more attention and alienate those voters who support him.

The Economy
The nation was enjoying relative prosperity in the years following World War II, but there was disagreement over which was the wisest economic course to follow. Some wanted to expand the economy by building upon the programs of the New Deal, while others favored a scale-back of government programs and tax cuts.

	Candidate #1: Generally supports, and cites, the programs of the New Deal and the Fair Deal as contributing to the nation's prosperity.
	Candidate #2: While not coming out against New Deal policies, feels that too many government programs hinder the economy. This candidate favors a tax cut and a reduction in federal spending.

Containing Communism Abroad
The war in Korea focused attention on the effectiveness of efforts being made to contain the international spread of communism.

	Candidate #1: Is supportive of Truman's policy of containing Communism and agrees with his conduct of foreign policy.
	Candidate #2: Feels that weaknesses within Truman's foreign policy allow for increased Communist aggression, and promises, if elected, to personally visit Korea in an effort to end the war.

Now find out which candidate you agree with most, and see how your opinion stacks up to the popular and electoral vote tallies for the 1952 election.

I do not wish to vote but would like to see the current results

Major funding provided by the National
Endowment for the Humanities and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting

Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this Web site do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

American Experience

Mondays 9/8 C