Today, we finished up the WWII tests and started our presidential blog discussions..
Presidential Blog Discussions:
Cold War: stretegic struggle between communism and democrasism...we wanted to stop communism
Truman:
-Became vice president fro FDR in January, 1945 (only 3 months into FDR's presidency)
-Took over for FDR when he died in April, 1945
-One of the most unpopular presidents of all time when he left office-22% approval rating--there was a recession; he fired MacArthur during the Korean war (conflict): because MacArthur wanted to go to war with China and to drop a bomb on China with a nuclear bomb...
-Rating has improved greatly over the last 60 years
-In the 1948 election, he went up against Thomas Dewey--in the weeks prior, everyone thought that Dewey would win, but Truman ended up winning
Accomplishments:
- ended WWII--was president when WWII ended with Germany and Japan
- militaries were desegregated
- issued the Fair Deal (is the New Deal by extending it or adding things; trying to help the poor people as well as the economy)--many of the Fair Deal proposals didn't get passed because of opposition->aimed to promote economic development and social welfare..civil rights, housing, social security, minum wage, health, labor, education, agriculture, tried to help African Americans
- Made the decision of dropping the atomic bomb
- stopped the spread of communism as best he could
- Potsdam Conference/Declaration (to determine German consequences/Japan's surrender or else face destruction)
- thus, Decided to use the atomic bomb against Japan
- took responsibility for the good and bad
- 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 (to stop communism)
- Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan were passed--giving money to European countries to help them stop communism...
- Created the CIA and the National Security Council--designed to keep the US secure from terrorists, etc.
- Recognized Israel as a homeplace for the Jewish people
- Got the US involved in Vietnam by giving aid to France
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