Dwight D. EisenhowerAEs election to the presidency in 1952 brought an end to two decades of Democratic rule in the White House. His landslide victory, however, masked intense factionalism within the Republican Party. Whereas conservatives were eager to reverse the domestic and foreign policies of past administrations, liberal Republicans favored active federal involvement in AmericansAE lives and an internationalist approach to affairs abroad. As political historian Steven Wagner demonstrates, Eisenhower sought a /u201cmiddle way/u201d between Democrats to his left and conservatives to his right. In American political culture, those who describe themselves as /u201cmiddle of the road/u201d are often portrayed as unwilling to take a stand or lacking in political sophistication. This was not the case with Eisenhower, whose /u201cmiddle way/u201d was the result of careful consideration. Despite his partyAEs commitment to limited government, free enterprise, and individual initiative, Eisenhower believed that, in some cases, the federal government needed to intervene. EisenhowerAEs enormous popularity with the American people assured him reelection and high approval ratings throughout his two terms of office. This popularity did not, however, translate into legislative success; his proposals were often defeated by an unlikely coalition of liberals and conservatives. Nor did EisenhowerAEs popularity carry over to his party, a fact driven home by the defeat of his vice president, Richard Nixon, in the 1960 presidential election. In the resulting battle for control of the party, conservatives prevailed. Wagner concludes with a candid discussion of the legacy of /u201cEisenhower Republicanism/u201d and the ways in which the subsequent conservative victory has continued to shape the party to this day.

Book Information
ISBN 9780875803623
Author Roy Wagner
Format Hardback
Page Count 189
Imprint Northern Illinois University Press
Publisher Cornell University Press