Postwar America: Harry S. Truman
I.
Election of 1944
a. Democratic nominee =>
b. GOP nominee =>
c. Campaign focused on . . .
d. Wartime successes during campaign helped FDR
i. Liberation of Paris
ii. Battle of . . .
e. Results =>
II.
Death of FDR
a. FDR, 62 years of age in 1944, was dying =>
b. April 12, 1945: FDR died . . .
c. His death shocked the nation
III.
Harry S. Truman
a. From ____________________
b. No college degree
c. Served in World War I, in artillery
d. Elected to ______________________ from . . .
e. Truman Committee =>
f. Selected VP in 1944 =>
g. VP for 82 days before . . .
IV.
President Truman
a. Asked all members of FDR’s Cabinet to stay =>
b. Famous quotes
i. “The ____________ stops here”
ii. “If you can’t take the heat . . .”
c. Avid walker through DC =>
d. Called “the common man’s common man” =>
V.
Truman’s foreign policy challenges
a. United Nations =>
b. Soviet Union
i. Aggressively spreading . . .
ii. Truman Doctrine: established policy of . . .
iii. US would support …
c. Recognition of Israel, May 14, 1948 =>
d. Rebuilding Europe: The Marshall Plan
i. Reconstruction of ...
ii. “Softer” side of ___________________ ___________________
iii. Great success
1. Resisting communism =>
2. Helping Europe rebuild =>
e. Cold War
i. Truman started policy of confronting …
ii. Re-organized military services =>
iii. Created ______________
iv. Created …
VI.
Truman: Domestic Transition
a. Goals of administration for postwar America
i. Make transition from wartime . . .
ii. Resume and extend . . .
b. Fear: Returning vets would cause …
c. “GI Bill of Rights” (1944) would aid . . .
i. Education =>
ii. Housing =>
iii. Business =>
iv. Farms =>
v. Up to one year of _____________________________________
d. Employment Act of 1946
i. First government effort to . . .
ii. Goals
1. Promote . . .
2. Promote . . .
3. Promote . . .
iii. Created Council of Economic Advisors =>
iv. Created Joint Economic Committee =>
VII.
Resurgent Republican Party
a. Post war problems in US
i. Inflation . . .
ii. Labor unrest =>
iii. Wartime economic controls in place =>
iv. World tensions =>
b. “Voter fatigue”
i. After 14 years of unified Democratic control . . .
ii. GOP slogan =>
c. 1946 Congressional midterm elections
i. House =>
ii. Senate =>
iii. Last time this had happened =>
VIII.
Legislative Accomplishments of the “Do Nothing Congress”
a. Congressional approval of the 22nd Amendment =>
b. Taft-Hartley Act
i. Allowed states to adopt . . .
ii. Drove communists out of labor movement =>
iii. Adjusted balance of NLRA . . .
iv. Unions HATED IT!!! =>
c. Ended wage, price controls =>
d. Passed major tax cut =>
IX.
Truman and Civil Rights
a. Established Commission to study issue that issued recommendations
i. Create _____________ ___________________ Commission
ii. Punish . . .
iii. Abolish . . .
iv. Create _________________ __________________________ Commission
b. Recommendations blasted by Southern Democrats =>
c. Truman issued 1948 Executive Orders, just before election
i. Desegregated …
ii. Desegregated …
X.
1948 Election
a. Truman ran on promise of a “________________ ______________________”
i. National . . .
ii. Repeal of _________________ _____________________
iii. Aggressive civil rights laws
b. GOP: Thomas Dewey (again)
i. Controlled the . . .
ii. Ran a low key campaign
c. “Dixiecrats” =>
i. Candidate was ____________ _____________________
ii. Platform: continue racial segregation
iii. Knew they wouldn’t win =>
d. Progressive Party
i. Henry Wallace =>
ii. Platform: Accommodation with ___________ _______________ =>
e. Three way split in Democratic Party =>
f. GOP unified, in control of Congress =>
g. Result =>
i. Dems . . .
ii. Famous headline =>
XI.
Truman’s Second Term
a. Dominated by ____________________________ _____________________________
b. Berlin Airlift =>
c. Formation of ____________, 1949 =>
d. Founding of …
e. Soviet espionage and the A-Bomb =>
f. Korean War =>
g. Support for French in ___________________