President Harry Truman-33rd President (1945-1953)
Background
- Fought in WWI
- Was Missouri State Senator
- Became Vice President for FDR in January, 1945
- Took over for FDR when he died in April, 1945
- One of the most unpopular presidents of all time-22% approval rating at one point
- Rating has improved greatly over the last 60 years
- Last President to not have earned a college degree
Truman's Presidential Accomplishments
- President when WWII ended with Germany and Japan
- Potsdam Conference/Declaration-(German consequences/Japan's surrender or else face destruction)
- Decided to use the atomic bomb against Japan
- Had to deal with transition from wartime economy to peacetime economy
- Helped organize and later join the United Nations
- Took a hard-line stance against communism and the Soviet Union-Policy of Containment
- Desegregated the US military
- Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan were passed
- Created the CIA and the National Security Council
- The Fair Deal
- Similar to FDR's New deal of the 1930's
- aimed to promote economic development and social welfare
- Faced a lot of opposition from the Southern Democrats and Republicans
- Most Fair Deal proposals did not get passed
- Dealt with:
- Civil Rights
- Housing
- Social Security
- Minimum Wage
- Health
- Labor
- Education
- Agriculture
- Recognized Israel as a home place for the Jewish people
- Got the US involved in Vietnam by giving aid to France
- Berlin Airlift
- NATO established
- Chinese Civil War ends
- McCarthyism
- The Korean Conflict and firing of General Douglass MacArthur
- Assassination attempt over Puerto Rican Independence
1948 Election
- Truman(D) vs. Thomas Dewey(R)
- Truman came from way behind to win
- Newpapaers and polls assumed Dewey would win
Dwight Eisenhower(R)-34th President (1952-1962)
Back Ground
- Famous WWII general
- Decided to join the Republican Party after WWII
- Richard Nixon was his Vice President
- Diagnosed with Crohn's Disease and has minor stroke while President
Eisenhower's Presidential Accomplishments
- Dominated the Cold War Containment Policy
- Used CIA to do covert- ops to disrupt communist governments
- Open relations with Spain
- Ended the Korean Conflict as promised in his 1952 election campaign
- Defensive alliances were signed with South Korea and Taiwan
- SEATO was formed
- Increased US involvement in Southeast Asia-US advisers sent
- Developed idea that nuclear weapons
- Eisenhower Doctrine-give money to middle eastern countries to fight communism
- Believed in laissez-faire
- Believed in a balance budget
- Deported around 1 million illegal immigrants (mostly Mexicans)
- Sent federal troops to Little Rock, Arkansas to help in the desegregation of all public schools-1954-Brown vs the Boards of Education of Topeka, KS case
- Helped pass the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 which created the United States' Interstate Highways
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