Presidential Election of 1952

With the Cold War in full swing, the 1952 US presidential election was about transition. The man both parties had attempted to draft as their 1948 nominee, Dwight Eisenhower, finally entered the race. Richard Nixon, whose political career would be mired in scandals and setbacks, encountered one of his first major controversies. The president at the time, Harry S. Truman, may not have been running, but the election was a referendum on him and his predecessor, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. How did the men who steered the nation through the difficulties of the Great Depression and WWII fall out of favor during this new period: the Cold War?

Fig.1 - Eisenhower 1952 Campaign Event

Presidential Election of 1952 Truman

FDR had broken George Washington's precedent of only serving two terms as president and was elected a remarkable four times. Republicans proclaimed the control of the presidency by one person for such a long period to be a threat to freedom. They wasted no time making good on their campaign rhetoric when they took over Congress in the 1946 midterms.

22nd Amendment

The 22nd Amendment passed through Congress in 1947 and was ratified by the states in 1951. A single president was now limited to only two terms in office unless the first term served was less than two years. A grandfather clause in the amendment made Truman the last president who could legally run for a third term, but his popularity thwarted him where the law did not. With a 66% disapproval rating from his handling of the Korean War, corruption in his administration, and charges of being soft on Communism, Truman did not have the support for another nomination from the Democratic Party.

The Election of 1952 History

Americans reflected on 20 years of Democratic presidents as they considered the country's direction. Both sides played on fears to a degree. Republicans warned about the hidden hand of Communists in government, while Democrats warned of a potential return to the Great Depression.

Republican Convention

Despite being the most desired candidate by either party in 1948, Eisenhower found stiff resistance when he declared himself a Republican in 1952. The Republican Party in 1948 had been split between the conservative midwestern faction led by Robert A. Taft and the moderate "Eastern Establishment" wing led by Tomas E. Dewey. Moderates like Eisenhower were anti-Communist, but only wished to reform New Deal social welfare programs. Conservatives favored eliminating the programs altogether.

Even going into the convention, the decision was too close to call between Eisenhower and Taft. Ultimately, Eisenhower emerged victorious. Eisenhower clinched the nomination when he agreed to work towards Taft's goals of a balanced budget, ending a perceived move towards socialism, and taking anti-Communist Richard Nixon as his running mate.

Democratic Convention

After losses early in the primary season to Tennessee Senator Estes Kefauver, Truman announced that he would not seek reelection. Although Kefauver was the clear front runner, the party establishment opposed him. Alternatives all had significant issues, like Georgia Senator Richard Russel Jr, who had won some Southern primaries but was strongly opposed to Civil Rights, and Vice President Alben Barkley, who was seen as too old. Adlai Stevenson, Governor of Illinois, was a popular choice but refused even Truman's request for him to run for office. Finally, after the convention had begun, Stevenson yielded to requests for him to run and received the nomination alongside Southern Civil Rights opponent John Sparkman as Vice President.

1952 Presidentital Nominees

Dwight Eisenhower faced Adlai Stevenson as the nominee of the Republican and Democratic parties. Various lesser-known parties also fielded candidates, but none got even a quarter of a percent of the popular vote.

Fig.2 - Dwight Eisenhower

Dwight Eisenhower

Famous for his role as Supreme Allied Commander in Europe during WWII, Eisenhower was a popular war hero. Since 1948, he had been president of Columbia University, from which he was often absent due to other projects such as taking leave for a year to become the Supreme Commander of NATO from 1951 to 1952. Retiring from the Army in June of 1952, he returned to Columbia until he was inaugurated as president. At Columbia, he was heavily involved with the Council on Foreign Relations. There he learned a great deal about economics and politics and made several powerful business contacts that would support his presidential campaign.

Fig.3 - Adlai Stevenson

Adlai Stevenson

Adlai Stevenson was serving as Governor of Illinois when he was nominated. In Illinois, he had become known for his crusades against corruption in the state. Previously he had held several federal appointments, even working on the team that organized the United Nations. As a candidate, he was known for having intelligence and wit but had some difficulties connecting with working class voters who viewed him as too intellectual.

Presidential Election of 1952 Issues

In the 1950s, Communism was by far the biggest single issue in American politics. Every single other issue could be viewed through the lens of Communism.

McCarthyism

Stevenson made several speeches where he called out Senator Joseph McCarthy and other Republicans for their accusations of secret Communist infiltrators in government, calling them unwarranted, reckless, and dangerous. Republicans hit back that Stevenson had been a defender of Alger Hiss, an official accused of being a spy for the USSR, whose guilt or innocence is still being debated by historians today. Eisenhower had at one point planned to confront McCarthy publicly but appeared alongside him in a picture instead at the last moment. Many moderates in the Republican Party hoped that Eisenhower's victory would help reign in McCarthy.

Fig.4 - Adlai Stevenson Campaign Poster

Korea

America had been unprepared for another military conflict after the rapid demobilization at the end of WWII. The war had not gone well, and many Americans had died already. Republicans blamed Truman for failing to prosecute the war effectively, as American soldiers returned home in body bags. Eisenhower promised a quick end to the unpopular war.

Television Advertising

In the 1950s, two major influences on American culture came of age: television and advertising agencies. Eisenhower initially resisted but later relented on taking the advice of advertising experts. His frequent television appearances were derided by Stevenson, who compared it to selling a product.

Corruption

While certainly not the most corrupt administration in US history, several figures in Truman's administration were coming to public awareness for nefarious activities. A secretary, an assistant attorney general, and some at the IRS, among others, were fired or even jailed for their offenses. Eisenhower tied together lowering the deficit and more frugal spending with a campaign against the corruption in the Truman administration.

Election of 1952 Results

The election of 1952 was a landslide for Eisenhower. His popular campaign slogan, "I Like Ike", proved true when he received 55% of the popular vote and won 39 of 48 states. States that had been solidly Democratic since Reconstruction even went for Eisenhower.

Fig.5 - 1952 Presidential Election Map

Election of 1952 Importance

The election of Eisenhower and Nixon set the stage for the conservatism for which the 1950s is remembered. Additionally, the campaign itself cemented the role of television advertising in politics. By 1956, even Adlai Stevenson, who criticized the practice in 1952, would be airing television ads. America had entered a new era of televisions, corporations, and anti-communism from the Democratic years of the New Deal and WWII.