Influences On Dwight D. Eisenhower's Life

Dwight D. Eisenhower was born on October 14, 1890 in Denison, Texas. His parents were David and Ida Stover Eisenhower. He was their third son. In 1891, when Dwight was about one, his father moved the family to Abilene, Kansas. "Little Ike", as he would be called, grew up in a small, white farm house. Ike's father was a failed shopkeeper; he became a mechanic at a creamery. His parents were devout Mennonites and vocal pacifists. Ike's mother, Ida, had a very large influence on his life due to her preaching about enthusiasm for life and her belief in worldly success and divine spirituality. Due to the small nature of his town, Ike became very active in his town politically. He marched in a rally during the night for the 1896 election. His small

This meant that the Soviet Union would dominate many parts of the world. Eisenhower, being a practical man, knew that nuclear would destroy and wipe out both countries. He learned from Korea that conventional war was no longer winnable consequently he would have to fight this war covertly. The first operation that Eisenhower approved of was against the prime minister of Iran, Mohammed Mossadegh. Later Eisenhower would author similar covert operations in Cuba, Central America, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Vietnam became another issue after Eisenhower took office. It became vital to Eisenhower that Vietnam should not fall to the communist. His theory, which became known as the domino effect, stated that if Vietnam fell to communism then the surround countries would become subject to communism as well. Due to the fact that Eisenhower did not want to involve American troops the French fell to Vietnam. A treaty was signed in Geneva, Switzerland but, Eisenhower refused to sing it. He proposed a new plan called Southeast Asia Treat Organization (SEATO). This organization protected Southeastern Asian countries and saw that South Vietnam was a sovereign state rather than half of a temporarily divided country. The signers of the treaty pledged to defend the countries of Southeast Asia against communist

He was also a proud grandfather. His son and daughter in law had three children. Early in 1955, Eisenhower was faced with one the of the biggest crises of his presidency thus far. This issue concerned the Nationalist Chinese, the Communist Chinese, and the small islands of Quemoy and Matsu. In the fall of 1955 Eisenhower suffered a heart attack. He stayed in the hospital for six weeks and from there traveled to his residence in Pennsylvania where he made a full recovery. He was faced with the issue of running for a second term. At the age of sixty-five and after having suffered a serious heart attack Eisenhower wanted to retire but, he still liked the idea of presidency. In February he announced that he would run for a second term. In August of that same year he was nominated by the Republican National Convention. Richard Nixon became his running mate once again. With the votes declaring "I like Ike" Eisenhower and Nixon won by an even bigger landslide than in the previous election. Eisenhower also had to face of the issue of desegregation. On November 25, 1967 Eisenhower suffered a stroke. He was unable to speak but, eventually he mad a recovery. The Middle East was gaining power. The Soviets along with Communist China were working together to gain greater power and control in the Third World. After the Berlin Crisis in 1958 the relationship between the Soviets and the United States began to improve. On May