Once the nation had recovered from the Great Depression during the events of World War II, America would experience a short period of economic anxiety from the post-war hardships. Doomsayers were predicting another Great Depression, and the initial economic reactions were not promising. Legislation like the Taft-Hartley Act, a response to the New Deal, made unions more liable for damages to the industry resulting from jurisdictional disputes. However, the Democrats attempted to stem the tide by passing their own acts that encouraged employment to the fullest. The most influential of these was the GI Bill, which gave the veterans of World War II the opportunity to get an education and aid in locating occupations. Following these actions, the educational level of the nation’s workforce would increase dramatically. Industries would be greatly affected by this improvement, thus arousing an era of economic growth over the next two decades. The efforts of the nation, following the war, to prevent another Great Depression by increasing employment and educational standards had were esoteric in the evolution of America’s sound economy.

          At the close of the 1940s, America’s Gross National Product (GNP) began to increase at staggering rates. When the economy maintained a sustained period of growth, the world looked on in envy. Incomes nearly doubled during this time period, so the sense of desire no longer remained a dream-it could now be a reality. Prosperity ran rampant throughout the nation, as the citizens began to take more charge of their lives. They were able to purchase cars and there was over a fifty percent increase in people owning their own homes. Possessing all of these luxuries gave American’s a unique perspective and availability to a different way of life than any other in the world. Every aspect of the economy was very successful, ranging from agriculture to the industrial markets. Upon reflection, it is apparent that the threat of incurring another Great Depression and the subsequent legislation played direct roles in the events of the next twenty years. This was evidence of a situation where America used the past to construct a better future. Knowing what had happened and engineering, to the best of their abilities, an economy that would provide stability and great prosperity for a long period of time.

          When considering a great president, one looks for a unique and remarkable characteristic that defines the man. But in the case of Harry Truman, his greatness came from his normality. “The average man’s average man” was placed in a very precarious situation: replacing one of the most popular president’s in history during a time where he was forced into making a historical decision almost immediately after taking office. It was as though the time’s complex nature and countless issues were being handed to some guy. However, his normalcy and downright simplistic attitude made his actions in time of need both very effective and legitimate. There were not any false pretenses with Truman: “the buck stops here” which was exactly the case. Domestically, Truman took on some heat when his loyalty to his Missouri good ole boys brought some hard times on him when they were caught indulging in bad things. Coming after FDR was not easy, but he did use his predecessor’s appeal to implement some of his own ideas. The “fair deal” was his answer to problems throughout the nation. But his handling of foreign issues is where he faced his hardest challenges. The decision to drop the bombs and the upcoming Korean conflict put him directly in the midst of the war on communism. It is difficult to say for certain that Truman was a great president. But when his actions are considered in context, relative to the obvious difficulty of the situations he encountered, the case can be made that the “average” man filled the shoes of the president beyond the call of duty.

Chapter 37 Part 1

             World War II was a huge turning point for the economy of the United States.  Before the war the American public was a disheartened nation still trying to get out of the Great Depression.  The many factories throughout America had been closed down because of this time of little money.  However when World War II began, the United States once again needed these factories to produce the wide amount of items needed for the war.  When the factories gained more money, then more workers were hired.  These workers were then paid more, leading to a gain of money all over.

            The economy of the United States exploded in the 1950’s because of the huge amount of money that was spent by the government for military purposes.  The government gave money to many factories in order to obtain more war materials.  A large amount of money was also spent to prepare for the Korean War.  Some high-technology industries, for example, aerospace, plastics, and electronics, were also given hefty sums of money. 

            Other reasons for the economic boom in the United States came from energy and education.  American and European companies were primarily in control of the oil businesses throughout the world.  The United States was then able to give Americans energy for cheaper prices.  By 1970 ninety percent of school-aged children in the United States were enrolled in school; in the beginning of the century only fifty percent were attending school.  When the higher educated people began to work in factories, they were able to produce items much quicker than people who had no education.

            Another factor that contributed to the growth of the economy of the United States was the improvement of farming technology.  New fertilizers that were much better were introduced, allowing for a better growth of the plants.  Also new technologies like an air-conditioned tractor that plowed the earth allowed for a farmer to grow much more food. 

            The results of this economic boom were brilliant.  In the 1950’s national income almost doubled.  Americans enjoyed around forty percent of the planet’s wealth while only making up about six percent of the world’s people.  “A people who had once considered a chicken in every pot the standard of comfort and security now hungered for two cars in every garage, swimming pools in their backyards, vacation homes, and gas-guzzling recreational vehicles.”  (882).  Middle class, or people who were earning between three thousand dollars and ten thousand dollars a year, had doubled since the days before the Great Depression.  Almost every American family owned a car, a washing machine, and a television by the end of the century.  By 1960 around sixty percent of American families owned their own home. 

            The American woman also benefited when the American economy soared.  At the end of World War II, women made up around one fourth of the American workforce.  Urban offices and shops provided a wide variety of opportunities for women to work.  However there still was the view that the goal of a woman was to become a perfect wife and an outstanding mother.        

 Chapter 37 part 2

            President Harry Truman was very quickly faced with the challenge of taking the place of President Roosevelt.  When President Roosevelt died, vice president Truman became president.  He was left with many problems, including problems with the Soviet Russia and with ending the war with Japan.  On April 12, 1945, Truman declared, “I felt like the moon, the stars, and all the planets had fallen on me.”  Throughout his presidency he was confronted with many problems that were in desperate need of a solution.  Some of his answers were loved while others were hated. 

            Many people considered Harry S. Truman to be a common man.  This could be very true.  He was the first president who did not have a college education.  He was at one time a farmer.  Truman was also an artillery officer in the First World War and a failed haberdasher.  He worked in a job that dealt with precinct level politics in Missouri. 

            President Truman was an average sized man, with a height of 5 feet 9 inches.  He wore glasses and had a toothy grin.  When he first became president he tried to deal with his problems with humility.  However he gradually gained confidence and became a cocky, “scrappy little cuss.”  “When the Soviet foreign minister complained, ‘I have never been talked to like that in my life,’ Truman shot back, ‘Carry out your agreement and you won’t get talked to like that.’  Truman later boasted: ‘I gave him the one-two, right to the jaw.’” (887).  This showed how some international leaders most likely did not believe that Truman was a great president. 

            Some consider Truman to be a “smallish man thrust suddenly into a giant job” (887), giving some reason for his poor dealings.  The use of the atomic bomb was one of the least liked of his decisions. 

“As President, Truman made some of the most crucial decisions in history. Soon after V-E Day, the war against Japan had reached its final stage. An urgent plea to Japan to surrender was rejected. Truman, after consultations with his advisers, ordered atomic bombs dropped on cities devoted to war work. Two were Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Japanese surrender quickly followed.” (Taken from http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/ht33.html)

This choice caused the Japanese, other international peoples, and many Americans to be very much against Truman.

            Another reason why Truman could be considered a bad president was because it seemed that he didn’t even like his job.  In his diary, one of his entries dated July 21, 1947 discussed how Truman truly felt about his position; “’I like the Senate anyway. Ike & I could get elected and my family and myself would be very happy outside this great white jail known as the White House.’" (From “Truman to Ike: Take Presidency”).  If he considered the white house to be a jail, he probably was never meant to be a great president.

            Harry Truman did have some good decisions.  Some of these were his dealings with the Koreans and the Soviet Union.  He also was said to be responsible and authentic.  He also had the old character trait of “moxie.” 

The American economy soared because the war gave the factories something to produce, and afterwards, America couldn’t be stopped. The economic upturn of 1950 was fueled by the government’s spending for the Korean War. “Pentagon dollars primed the pumps of high technology industries such as aerospace, plastics, and electronics…” (883). Cheap energy helped feed this economic boom. Gas prices were kept low because American and European companies controlled the petroleum, and Americans doubled their consumption of it. Americans anticipated a limitless future of these fuels and built endless highways, installed air conditioners and managed to increase the country’s electricity-generating capacity between 1945 and 1970.

            After the Korean War, productivity increased at an average rate of more than 3 percent a year. These gains were enhanced by the rising educational level of the work force. Since they were better educated in 1970, they could produce twice as much in an hour’s labor as they had in 1950. “Productivity was the key to prosperity.”

            The workforce also shifted out of agriculture and into different departments. “Agribusinesses” were able to employ costly machinery and were able to gain more productivity than most other areas of the economy. In 1945 one farmer could produce enough food for fifteen people, but by the end of the century, one could produce enough for fifty.

 Pt. 2: Can President Harry Truman be considered to be a great president? Explain domestically and internationally.

             Harry S. Truman was nothing more than average. He didn’t go to college, he was average looking, and he took over after Roosevelt’s death. The problems after the war were daunting, but the new president approached his tasks with humility. He went from being a timid newbie into a confident and comfortable leader. The small man had large shoes to fill and he put together the very loyal “Missouri Gang” in his cabinet.

Although taking care of many small issues, he always made sure to address the large ones first. He was a down-home boy with few pretensions and was plain decent. He didn’t give his responsibility to others, or take theirs, and went by the motto “if you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.”