Truman example essay topic

Harry Truman was the 33rd President of the United States. His political career began 1934, when, eager to move higher in politics, Truman accepted request that he seek a seat in the Senate. His support of President Roosevelt's NEW DEAL policies as well as his foreign affair issues contributed to his status as a contender. He considered military power to be of great importance, and, after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, blamed the "pacifists" and the "isolationists". During the war, he worked for the creation of an international organization to preserve peace. Truman's new prestige plus his ability to get along with all sides in his party made him a candidate for the Democratic vice presidential nomination in 1944.

President Franklin Roosevelt, had been unhappy with his previous running mate, and considering a run for a fourth term, needed someone he could work with. Roosevelt persuaded Truman to run with him. Truman defeated Wallace for the nomination on the second ballot at the Democratic National Convention. The ticket was elected. Roosevelt died on April 12, 1945, and Truman became President. His first job was in International Relations in a Post Wold War II world.

Truman worked for the the plans for the unconditional surrender of Germany, which came on May 8, and the establishment of the United Nations. It was his decision to use the Atom Bomb against Japan. It was his thinking that it would bring a total end to World War II. He became known for: the Truman Doctrine when in 1947 as the Soviet Union pressured Turkey to take over Greece, he asked Congress to grant aid to Greece and Turkey; the Marshall Plan, in which American economic aid was used to stimulate the recovery of European economies not under the influence of the Soviet Union; the Berlin airlift, designed to help the Berliners when the Soviets occupied the city; and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, (NATO) the nation's first peacetime military alliance.

His goal at this time seemed to be to contain the Soviet Communists. No wonder that his domestic plans were not that great. He spent most of his time in the first few years on International Issues. Perhaps this is the reason that when it came time for him to seek re-election in 1948, he had a hard time.

The Republicans were running a popular governor from New York, Thomas Dewey. Both Right and Left Wing members of his own party deserted him. By all newspaper accounts he would not make the election as President. Polls predicted that Dewey would win. The result, however, was an upset.

He received fewer than half of all of the popular votes but won the election. He soon began to encounter more international problems. In June 1950, when the Communist government of North Korea invaded South Korea, Truman conferred promptly with his military advisers. He took the issue to the United Nations and he won passage of a United Nations Security Council resolution recommending that member states furnish aid to South Korea. Truman then authorized U.S. military intervention. A long conflict continued as United Nations forces held a line above the old boundary of South Korea.

He committed American Troops to the conflict and repelled the North Koreans back. But, Truman kept the war a limited one, rather than risk a major conflict with China and perhaps Russia which was the big concern at the time. This did not sit well with Gen. Douglas MacArthur, who advocated an expansion of military operations to defeat the Chinese and unify Korea. When MacArthur publicly criticized administration policies, Truman removed him from command on April 11, 1951. This was a big scandal at the time. This action only made him more unpopular with his fellow politicians and the American Public.

He decided not to run again. He retired to Independence Missouri and died in 1972. web web.