SECTION 2 Postwar Politics

Truman Faces Problems at Home. During WWII government controlled wages and prices for goods. After the war there difficulty as the economy shifted back from a military economy to a consumer economy During the war, workers agreed not to strike, but after the war, many labor unions set up strikes demanding higher wages and better conditions.

Strike Outs Truman forced striking workers back to work by threatening to draft them into the army, and sending the army into the mines to work. The Taft-Hartley bill, was passed by congress in 1947, and limited the actions workers could take against their employers. To try and keep support, Truman vetoed the bill, but it was overruled by the republican congress.

New Military Operations Congress passed the National Securities Act, in This set up the Department of Defense, and created the position of Secretary of Defense It also set up the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) WHY?

Birth of the CIA The CIA collects information from other countries and evaluates it, then passes it on to the president. The CIA uses secret agents, paid informers, and friendly governments to collect information It was so successful, Congress gave the CIA the right to receive, exchange, and send money without giving account to congress.

Truman stages an upset Truman campaigned hard to keep his job as president in the election of 1948 His opponent John Dewey (R), was expected to win. So much so that the day after the elections the newspapers read “Dewey defeats Truman” However, after months of campaigning, Truman(D) ended up wining the election by the slimmest of margins

The Fair Deal Truman’s plan: “The Fair Deal” Raise minimum wage Expand social security Help low-income families with housing

Truman and Civil Rights Truman did…tried to: Protect African American voting rights Get rid of the poll tax Make lynching a federal crime BUT… Congress wouldn’t pass any of it. What does this say about the attitude of Americans?

Truman and Desegregation Truman did… End discrimination in federal jobs End segregation of the military