The Eisenhower Presidency, 1953-1961

Dwight D. Eisenhower's presidency marked an important stage in the evolution of modern America, but left a decidedly mixed legacy for future presidents.  Richard V. Damms provides the first balanced overview of the Eisenhower presidency in a decade. Damms shows how Eisenhower's domestic policy slowed further expansion of the welfare state and managed to achieve three balanced budgets, but was woefully inadequate in the area of Africa-American civil rights. In foreign policy, he established the framework for the long-term strategy of containment that ultimately prevailed in the Cold War, but his short-term successes in the Third World left troubling legacies for the United States in such places as Iran, Guatemala, Cuba and Vietnam. Written in an engaging and accessible style, the book provides: * An examination of Eisenhower's domestic and foreign policy* A look at major themes in post-war US history, including the escalation of the arms race and the intensification of the Cold War* A selection of key contemporary documents * A Who's Who of major characters and Glossary of key terms  Drawing on the expanding documentary record and the most recent scholarship, this book provides students with a valuable, up-to-date synthesis of the Eisenhower presidency. Richard V. Damms is Professor of History at Mississippi State University.