Eisenhower and Latin America: The Foreign Policy of Anticommunism
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Book Overview
Stephen Rabe's timely book examines President Dwight D. Eisenhower's Latin American policy and assesses the president's actions in light of recent "Eisenhower revisionism."
During his first term, Eisenhower paid little attention to Latin America but his objective there was clear: to prevent communism from gaining a foothold. The Eisenhower administration was prepared to cooperate with authoritarian military regimes, but not to fund developmental aid or vigorously promote political democracy. Two events in the second administration convinced Eisenhower that he had underestimated the extent of popular unrest--and thus the potential for Communist inroads: the stoning of Vice-President Richard M. Nixon in Caracas and the radicalization of the Cuban Revolution. He then began to support trade agreements, soft loans, and more strident measures that led to CIA involvement in the Bay of Pigs invasion and plots to assassinate Fidel Castro and Rafael Trujillo. In portraying Eisenhower as a virulent anti-Communist and cold warrior, Rabe challenges the Eisenhower revisionists who view the president as a model of diplomatic restraint.
During his first term, Eisenhower paid little attention to Latin America but his objective there was clear: to prevent communism from gaining a foothold. The Eisenhower administration was prepared to cooperate with authoritarian military regimes, but not to fund developmental aid or vigorously promote political democracy. Two events in the second administration convinced Eisenhower that he had underestimated the extent of popular unrest--and thus the potential for Communist inroads: the stoning of Vice-President Richard M. Nixon in Caracas and the radicalization of the Cuban Revolution. He then began to support trade agreements, soft loans, and more strident measures that led to CIA involvement in the Bay of Pigs invasion and plots to assassinate Fidel Castro and Rafael Trujillo. In portraying Eisenhower as a virulent anti-Communist and cold warrior, Rabe challenges the Eisenhower revisionists who view the president as a model of diplomatic restraint.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0807842044
ISBN13:9780807842041
Release Date:April 1988
Publisher:University of North Carolina Press
Length:248 Pages
Weight:0.85 lbs.
Dimensions:0.7" x 5.9" x 9.0"
Customer Reviews
1 rating
Goes best with Bitter Fruit and Shattered Hope
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 21 years ago
An enjoyable read! This book is a must if you are interested in the 1954 CIA sponsored coup in Guatemala. Stephen Rabe rounds out the history from a clear U.S. Foreign Policy perspective, and adds depth to the history of this time. This book should be read along side Bitter Fruit and Shattered Hope for the most complete historical perspective.
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