Foreign policy propaganda during the Eisenhower administration: Shaping public opinion and the Cold War

The focus of this work is to look at how Eisenhower used the bully pulpit to convince the American people to support his foreign policy goals in the Cold War setting. This paper examines the use of propaganda during the beginning of the Cold War, and how Eisenhower shaped the Cold War. Propaganda is defined in this paper as simply the persuasion of a people to a specific idea while closing off the possibility of others. It is the deliberate action of convincing another of one's ideas and ideology. Though Eisenhower had many goals as president, those examined include foreign policy goals which Eisenhower furthered through domestic propaganda. The topics were chosen to coincide with Eisenhower's important speeches that influenced the public.;The major speeches examined in this paper include the topics of Korea, Asia, East Germany, and other allies and nations of strategic importance, the New Look policy, Disarmament, the Space Race, the American imperative, Age of Peril and Atoms for Peace, and speeches on ideology. Major speeches, such as inaugural and State of the Union addresses, are examined, as well as speeches that are important to the subjects mentioned above.;The conclusion of this paper includes Eisenhower's various legacies including how he defined how the Cold War was waged, having lasting repercussions for several decades after his presidency. This included a war of words that was battled through domestic and international propaganda. The contribution of this paper to the historiography of this subject is to show how Eisenhower spent much time and effort on his domestic propaganda program further to his foreign policy goals in a concise examination of his speeches.