Eisenhower: presidency, legacy, and historical impact

Eisenhower

Dwight D. Eisenhower, a widely revered war hero from World War II, actually rose to the helm of his Party and the Presidency for reasons significantly unrelated to his war record. Prominent during a time of crisis in the Republican Party due to the schism between the right wing and moderate faction of his Party, Eisenhower acted to heal the rift in the Republican Party and create a New Republicanism. Through his moderate "pragmatism," Eisenhower achieved his Party's nomination, the Presidency, and effective bipartisan cooperation in both domestic and foreign affairs.

What Impact did Eisenhower's Status as a Military Hero have on his Presidency?

To be sure, Eisenhower's status as a military hero contributed to his popular appeal among U.S. citizens.[footnoteRef:1] However, Eisenhower had a notable post-war career from 1945 -- 1952, serving as the President of Columbia University, for example.[footnoteRef:2] Though Eisenhower was an undoubted and highly admired war hero, he became President for reasons significantly unrelated to his military service.[footnoteRef:3] the crisis in Republican Conservatism and Eisenhower's ability to heal the Party's schism, help usher in a New Republicanism and achieve bipartisan cooperation had greater impacts on his presidency.[footnoteRef:4] [1: Alonzo Hamby. Liberalism and Its Challengers: From F.D.R. To Bush. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1992, p. 94.] [2: Ibid., pp. 101-102.] [3: John Milton Cooper, Jr. Pivotal Decades: The United States, 1900-1920. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1990, p. 274.] [4: Hamby, pp. 136-8.]

b. What was the Crisis of Republican Conservatism and how was it Regenerated?

The crisis in Republican Conservatism was the ideological schism between the "Old Guard" Republicans, which was considered the right wing of the Republican Party and opposed measures of the New Deal and intervention in foreign affairs vs. The more moderate "pragmatic" Republican conservatives, who supported the New Deal and believed in intervention in foreign affairs.[footnoteRef:5] Senators Joseph a. McCarthy and Robert a. Taft embodied the ideology of the Republican Party's right wing while Eisenhower embodied the more moderate wing of the Party.[footnoteRef:6] Senator Taft, who was known as "Mr. Republican,"[footnoteRef:7] had, in fact, voted against the NATO treaty and was actively opposed to building up America's forces in Europe, insisting that the President had no authority to build up troops in Europe during peacetime without authorization by Congress.[footnoteRef:8] Meanwhile, Senator Joseph a. McCarthy was intent on ridding the country of groups and individuals with "communist leanings." [footnoteRef:9] This wide rift in ideologies considerably weakened the Republican Party to crisis proportions.[footnoteRef:10] in the 1952 Republican primaries, the "Old Guard" was represented by Senator Robert a. Taft while the moderates were represented by Dwight D. Eisenhower.[footnoteRef:11] With the idea of saving the Republican Party from the extremism of Taft and McCarthy, Eisenhower won the Republican nomination for the 1952 Presidential election and handily beat Adlai Stevenson for the Presidency.[footnoteRef:12] Republican Conservatism was regenerated through the rise of Eisenhower and the moderate wing he represented to premiere national prominence as the New Republicanism[footnoteRef:13] and to the Presidency.[footnoteRef:14] Through actively sought bipartisan cooperation, Eisenhower's administration worked effectively on the domestic front, backing aspects of the New Deal, expanding aspects of Social Security, and working effectively toward desegregation[footnoteRef:15]; meanwhile, Eisenhower also worked effectively in foreign affairs in such countries as Korea, China and the Middle East.[footnoteRef:16] in sum, Eisenhower's and the moderate wing's efforts succeeded in healing the rift within the Republican Party that had severely weakened it. [5: Ibid., pp. 94-5.] [6: Ibid., p. 103.] [7: Ibid.] [8: Smith, Jean Edward. Eisenhower in War and Peace. New York, NY: Random House, Inc., 2012, p. 495.] [9: Smith, p. 490.] [10: Hamby, p. 103.] [11: Ibid., p. 116.] [12: Ibid., pp. 117-119.] [13: Ibid., pp. 121-125.] [14: Ibid., pp. 115-118.] [15: Ibid., pp. 126-7.] [16: Ibid., pp. 129-136.]