1. THE TRUMAN PRESIDENCY

2. Two Cold War themes… 1) Conflict with the Soviets…
2) Conflict between Truman & Congress…

3. THE TRUMAN PRESIDENCY Objectives…
Describe the post WW II domestic challenges & evaluate how HST handles these challenges.

4. “To Err is Truman”
1) The two major domestic challenges... facing the Truman Administration following WW II…
Demobilization…
Re-establish the peace time economy…

5. Demobilization Slogans: “Home Alive in 45” “No Boats, No Votes”
Postcards to the Whitehouse...
“Bring the boys home by X-mas”
“Bring Daddy Home” Clubs

6. Heading home at last… Across Europe, Asia & the Pacific, America’s victorious GIs pack up, tear down & head home to restart their lives.

7. 2) The economic problems associated with reconverting the economy?
“To Err is Truman”
2) The economic problems associated with reconverting the economy?
The challenge of economic reconversion…
- 9M returning vets
- War plants close - 35B in contracts cancelled
- Fear of returning to the depression
- Consumers are tired of economic sacrifice
- Inflation: 16% in 1 week
- Labor unrest

8. Social problems in the post war era…
Fear of “blood lust”
The divorce rate up
Housing shortages

9. Servicemen’s Readjustment Act
FDR signs the
Servicemen’s Readjustment Act or
“GI Bill of Rights” in 1944
For returning veterans…
Education… college for vets
- Medical treatment
- Business loans
- Housing loans

10. The "GI Bill" exceeded all expectations…
21M get educated
1947: GIs = 50% of college enrollment  
The American workforce…
450K engineers
238K teachers
91K scientists
67K doctors
22K dentists

11. 4) Truman’s Twenty-one Point Program (1945-1946)
Unemployment insurance
Higher minimum wage
Housing assistance
National health insurance

12. The 1946 Mid-term Elections “Had enough???”
The results…
5) What voter sentiments were reflected in the 1946 midterm election?

13. “No good, do-nothing Congress”- HST
The 80th Congress
The 80th Congress defeats most of Truman’s proposals for dealing with these problems.
“No good, do-nothing Congress”- HST
Republicans Democrats
-Shrink New Deal -Extend New Deal

14. Summarize the opposing viewpoints of labor and management in the post war era.

15. 6) Taft-Hartley Act AKA: “Slave Labor Bill”
A reaction to labor unrest
Limits the closed shop
Requires an 80 day cooling off period for strikes
Union leaders must swear they are not Communists
Passed over Truman’s veto

16. THE TRUMAN PRESIDENCY Objective… Describe the factors that most
influenced the outcome of the 1948 election?

17. 7) Progressive: Henry Wallace
The 1948 Election
7) Progressive: Henry Wallace
Liberal New Dealer
Truman’s fired him as Sec. of Commerce
Accused of being “a tool of the communists”

18. 7) Dixie-crat: Strom Thurmond
The 1948 Election
7) Dixie-crat: Strom Thurmond
Gov. of South Carolina
Segregationist
Runs in reaction to HST's civil rights policies

19. Senator Strom Thurmond served until age 100.
He was 103 when he died in 2003

20. Democrat: Harry Truman
The 1948 Election
Democrat: Harry Truman
Maintain/ expand New Deal
Adopts civil rights policies to counter Wallace
Desegregates the military
Attacks the 80th “Do-nothing Congress”

21. Republican: Thomas Dewey
The 1948 Election
Republican: Thomas Dewey
Gov. of NY
Reverse the New Deal
Attacks Truman for poorly managing the Communist threat.

22. Results of the 1948 Election
Party/ Electoral College Pop Vote%
HST: Dem… 303… %
Dewey: Rep… … %
Thurmond: Dixiecrat … %
Wallace: Prog… … %
8) What were the factors that most influenced the outcome of the 1948 Presidential election?

23. Truman’s Inauguration
THE TRUMAN PRESIDENCY
Objectives…
Identify the policies associated with the Fair Deal and evaluate the success of these Fair Deal policies.
Truman’s Inauguration

24. 9) & 10) The Fair Deal What is the Fair Deal?... Success… Failure…
-Social Security
-Minimum wage
-Housing subsidies
-Urban housing
Failure…
-Civil rights
-Taft Hartley repeal-
-Health Insurance
-Aid to education

25. HST & Civil Rights 1946: Forms Commission on CR:
Recommend… Anti-lynching Law
&
End Poll Taxes
1948 HST desegregates the military
Meets with CR leaders to discuss “racial terrorism” in America