TRUMAN: DOMESTIC POLICY

Question 1

Reasons for Political divisions

Answer 1

Truman’s policies were trgeted at helping poorer members of society. However, this could be divisive because:
* against American Dream - no handouts
* Potentially too left wing
* racist attitudes
* too much federal intervention

Question 2

Political divisions under Truman

Answer 2

• One of the worst periods of legislative conflict between president and Congress
• Congress blocked most of Truman’s legislative proposals, and he vetoed 250 bills passed by Congress - political gridlock
• Caused by congressional resentment over the increase in the powers of the presidency and expensive policies
• Made his presidency difficult - took control of congress in 1946
• Decreased federal government intervention in social welfare
• Truman had few allied in congress - liberal Demoncrats criticised lack of reforms, conservative Democrats disagreed over civil rights
• When the Demorats began to take a more liberal stance on race, the Dixiecrats let the party

Question 3

1948 Election

Answer 3

• Republicans were convinced their candidate, Thomas Dewey, would win - they voted $80,000 to fund Inauguration Day
• Truman was determined and charming, brought his family on stage, and people felt they could relate to him; embarked on a 33 day, 30000 mile whistle stop tour
• Accused Republican congress of being do-nothing - challenges them to prove they were serious about social reform in their platform in a special session in July 1948 - they did nothing
• He managed to flip Illinois
• Voters included African-Americans, Farmers, Blue-collar workers and anti communists
• Shockingly, Truman won - spent the $80,000 on a party

Question 4

Post War Economy

Answer 4

• 12 million veterans returned after the war, quickly found employment
• Single dominant force in the global economy at the end f the war
• Introduction of the Bretton-Woods system - economic global shift, all global currencies compared to the dollar - US is no.1
• Monetary Fund & World Bank – headquearters in New York - America at the centre

Question 5

Post War economy - problems

Answer 5

• transition from wartime to peacetime
• inflation at 25%
• Democrat defeat in 1946 mid terms
• Trade unions demand higher wages
• Opposition of conservative Republicans

Question 6

Post war economy - solutions

Answer 6

• ‘Fair Deal’ - investment in GI Bill
• Kept an army of 3 million - gradual reintroduction to workfrce
• Price Control Bill and the Office of Price Administartion (conservative opposition)
• Council of Economic Advisors
• Suburban housing
• Encouraged industrial production

Question 7

Labour Unions

Answer 7

• From late 1945-46, a wave of strikes hit the steel, coal, auto and railroad industries – debilitating key sectors of the US economy and stifiling production of some consumer goods
• Truman took a hard line, take a union to court, which damaged his relationship with an important elements of his support base
• Membership boomed due to huge US war production machine
• People were suspicious due to associations with socialism/communism

Question 8

1944 GI Bill of Rights

Answer 8

• Ensured 52 weeks unemployment, loans for education, housing, farms, businesses
• Would be costly to government in short term; in the long term the government gets it back in tax, etc

Question 9

1945 military returned

Answer 9

• $20 billion given to 7.8 million
• most found jobs & was a boom in consumerism

Question 10

1945-6

Answer 10

• INFLATION HIT 25%
• return to free market economy, withdrew price controls, budget deficits and factories couldm’t keep up with demands

Question 11

1948 economic boom

Answer 11

Soldiers saved up wages, post-war baby boom led to a manufaturing demand and more jobs

Question 12

Strikes

Answer 12

• 1946 strikes - 4985 in total, because wages didn’t keep up with inflation in January - 800,000 steelworkers; April - 400,000 miners; may Railroad works, Truman threatened the army, backed down; November - United Mine Workers, Truman took them to court and won
• April 1952 - steelworkers went on strike, had levergae as they were needed for the Korean War. Truman seized control of the steel mills. Supreme Court later confirmed that he was exceeding his authority, and the strike went ahead

Question 13

1947 Taft-Hartley Act

Answer 13

• Republican-controlled congress wnated to curtail union power
• Unions became liable for breaching contact
• Truman vetoed the bill but was overriden by congress

Question 14

The Fair Deal

Answer 14

• 21 point programme incorporating economic and social measures to tackle domestic problems. Few were ever passed
• Substantial economic and social progress did take place
• 62 million were employed by 1953 - increase of 11 million
• Minimum wage increased from 40c to 75c
• Social Security benefits doubled and extended to an extra million Americans
• Poverty fell from 33% in 1949 to 28% by 1952
• Farmers were assisted by soil conservation, flood control etc
• Housing Act 1949 - 810,000 houses buily fr low income Americans
• National School Lunch Act 1946 - poor schoolchildren to eat free/cheap

Question 15

Drawbacks to the Fair Deal

Answer 15

• Clearing inner city slums made housing worse for African-Americans in northern cities as they weren’t replaced with affordable housing quickly enough - rent skyrocketed
• Only 156,000 units built from Housing Act and some were poorly construted
• Congress rejeted many proposals eg health insurance and education
• Had to give up of Fair Deal

Question 16

Opposition to the Fair Deal

Answer 16

• State vs Federal intervention
• Truman’s presidency lacked the economic necessity for major change
• Anti-Roosevelt sentiment - 22nd Amendment set a maximum two terms
• Congressional opposition
• Corruption scandal in 1951