President Harry S. Truman

The author notes that initially, Congress was compliant with Truman giving him most of the power when it came to decision making. Paterson also notes that the public were “yea-sayers.” Early in the chapter, it is said that occasionally Truman officials suggested that their decisions were influenced by the attitude of the American public. However, the author points out that in the majority, President Truman did what he thought he needed to do and “successfully persuaded the reluctant to walk his path.” The book summarizes that even though Truman and his Cabinet officials charted their own path, they were aware of public opinion and feared negative attitudes towards foreign policy.

Truman and Eisenhower each wanted to help limit the increasing issue of communism. One approach they did was getting involved physically and militarily in the countries that were in need. The peace conference at Potsdam was a failure, because communist Russia still stood on their own and as their own separate nation. The Soviet Union had already succeeded in conquering Poland, and much of Europe splitting up Germany. After Hitler committed suicide, the main obstacle for the United States and many other countries was to avoid the looming threat of communism. Truman created the Truman Doctrine to possibly stop or postpone this issue. “I believe,” he argued, “that it must be the policy of the United States to support free people who are resisting attempted subjugation by

1. Harry Truman was a realistic, pragmatic president who skillfully led the American people against the menace posed by the Soviet Union. Assess the validity of this statement by examining the Foreign Policy implemented during Truman’s presidency.

Offner, Arnold, "Provincialism and Confrontation: Truman’s Responsibility" in Major Problems in American Foreign Relations, Volume II.

When thinking about the numerous, dynamic leaders that America has had over the course of the nation’s history, it can become troublesome to fairly compare these respective heads of state. Though each American president has unquestionably left their own unique legacy from their time in office, when comparing leaders from similar times, certain consistencies can present themselves. While the Presidency is of course beholden to constructs of political normativity subjective to the era they presided in, by choosing two POTUS’ from the same era, we can more adequately synthesize comparable actions and philosophies between the two. To this end, we will analyze the terms of Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft, cutting through narratives of their tenures to truly delineate their comparability. Through a comprehensive analysis of these two leaders on the subjects of foreign policy, we begin to parse out many similarities and differences between these two early 20th century leaders.

Although Truman was faced with such tough decision, he was supported by the citizens of

Patrick J. Maney's "The Roosevelt Presence: The Life and Legacy of FDR" is a critical analysis of the policies, programs and decisions invoked by Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Maney's analysis and opinions of important historical events brought forth by Roosevelt such as The New Deal, Court Packing and World War II are "off-beat" to say the least. Maney attempts to bring to the table an objective analysis of FDR's life and policies, with hopes of indulging the reader in what he believes is the truth. Although Patrick J. Maney attempted to come off as an objectionable historian, it is evident that he vastly injected his own opinions and beliefs into his analysis.

As Vice President, Harry S. Truman seldom saw President Roosevelt, therefore acquiring no updates on the progress of the atomic bomb or the developing predicament with Communist Russia. After Roosevelt’s unexpected death, these dilemmas as well as an array of wartime problems became Truman’s to resolve as the new president. When he came into office on April 2nd, 1945, World War II was nearing its end, leaving Europe in absolute chaos. Truman had to search for ways to aid the country in picking up the pieces from war. Thus, in a foreign and domestic sense, he inherited a country in total turmoil and disorientation. Americans at home still could not feel the devastation caused by the war, which ultimately contributed to the failure of

Harry S. Truman was the 33rd president of the United States of America. He became president because Franklin D. Roosevelt died during his term; Truman was Roosevelt’s Vice President at the time. Truman found himself facing some of the greatest challenges met by any 20th-century president. He discovered in July 1945 that some scientists working for the United States government had successfully tested an atomic bomb in New Mexico. President Truman wanted to use the atomic bomb to end the war in the Pacific, but with fewest U.S. catastrophes. This decision was one of the most momentous decisions of the 20th century and extremely perplexing when analyzed.

On 8th of January 1947, at Harry S. Truman’s first economic report as president to the congress of the United Sates, he said, ’America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand’, but little did Truman know that these beliefs of his would become misunderstood and critiqued by the masses in coming times.

Over seventy years ago, one may have thought that one of most courageous, hard-working, honest, and loyal men was sworn into office as the President of the United States. Harry S. Truman was considered “One Tough Son –of-a-Bitch” due to his expertise, not because of his ordinary, basic look or lack of college education. No matter how people perceived him, Truman had industrial-strength; he stood his ground on his beliefs. His life would take him one of the most elaborate rides one could experience. Truman’s formative years taught him endurance, his life in the war taught him courage, and presidency taught him resilience.

During his time as the Vice President of the United States, Truman had been presented with a tough task, to be the President of the United States of America. He was in a terrible position, and he felt “like the moon, the stars, and all the planets had fallen on me”(“Harry S. Truman”). The country’s last

During his presidency, Truman had many great accomplishments that led him to become a very popular president. But becoming president only because of Rosevelt’s death he had only met with him a few

President Harry S. Truman wasn’t only just a president, he was a US army soldier, a democratic senator, presiding judge, and a vice president. Before his presidency, he fought in World War 1.

The development of Truman’s personal character and rise to presidency are an iconic example of McClelland’s (1975) concept of social power. Shriberg & Shriberg (2010) summarize the idea of social power as essentially a positive form of power built up from possessing integrity and a healthy idealism. Truman’s belief in America and its institutions are first shown when he declares that he is joining the military to participate in World War 1 despite the fact that he is not an ideal candidate and could avoid the draft if he chose to. In the military he secures a leadership position where he is shown to be comfortable giving and receiving orders, and being authoritative to his subordinates. After the war, and after a failed attempt at business, Truman runs for local office as a last resort career option. He takes his office position seriously, and is very stubborn when he discovers that political