Compare And Contrast Eisenhower And Johnson

Dwight Eisenhower and Lyndon Johnson were both American presidents in the 20th century. Though they represented different political parties, Republican and Democratic accordingly, and expressed different views on current problems, they still served their country's best interests. They worked in relatively similar times and had to deal with analogous problems that is why it is noteworthy to compare their policies. They behaved very similarly in office as they shared the view on the necessity of economic growth and changes to black people's civil rights, but their military policies differ as Eisenhower managed to keep out of shooting war while Johnson had to deal with it. The state of the country's economy during a presidency is one of the most important characteristics of a president's success, and both Eisenhower and Johnson thought about their country's wealth. Eisenhower's tenure was marked by a booming economy (Ambrose 347), and he had to find a way not only to preserve it but to benefit from it. During his presidency, the federal spending as a share of GDP decreased by two percent (“Dwight D. Eisenhower: Domestic Affairs”), but still domestic spending increased despite all his attempts not to let that happen by blocking expensive programs (Ambrose 479). Though income and real purchasing power of Americans increased, many people still lived below the poverty line (“Dwight D. Eisenhower: Domestic Affairs”). Mostly they were

Still, their actions and motivations were different as Eisenhower stood for gradual integration, and his actions concerning the military policy were more reasonable than Johnson's. However, both presidents served America and contributed to its