Eisenhower's leadership during World War II leads many in both the Democratic and Republican parties to want him as a presidential candidate. He is eventually persuaded to run and seeks an end to the Korean War while also trying to keep America from sliding back in to isolationism as it did between World Wars I and II.
Eisenhower deals with the the growing Cold War with the Soviet Union as it further isolates Eastern Europe from the rest of the world and suppresses any ideas of independence. He tries to balance the development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles along with surveillance aircraft and satellites to monitor their growth.
Dwight D. Eisenhower did not aspire to be a politician; in fact, most of his colleagues had no idea whether he was a Democrat or a Republican. "Ike" was a military man his entire life. And not your ordinary rank-and-file military man, but the greatest hero of World War ll – a five-star general whose career goal in the nuclear age was to keep America secure from the continuing threats of communism. Ike's proponents lauded him for his strategic skills, insightful thought process and courageous attitude. At a time when he could have begun enjoying retirement, he accepted the challenge of seeking the presidency because he knew that once in the Oval Office he could provide leadership for the free world in the battle versus communism and set a sane course for the use of nuclear weaponry.
With both the United States and the USSR in a position to use nuclear weapons in any conflict, the possibility of "mutually assured destruction" was entirely feasible. To think that the world as we know it could have ended in the 1950s may sound farfetched, but it was in fact a reality for those controlling nuclear weapons at that time. Using his military experience, a knowledge of science and technology, and diplomatic sensitivity, President Eisenhower played his "hidden hand" wisely, successfully positioning the United States economically and militarily as the strongest country in the world.
