What did Harry Truman do as head of state?

Answer 1

Harry Truman was a President of the US. He was originally a Senator for Missouri who became Franklin Roosevelt's Vice President in 1945. Roosevelt died not long after this and not long before World War II ended in Europe. It was Harry Truman's decision to drop the two atomic bombs on Japan and end the war in the Pacific.

Truman had a mixed reputation during his presidency and a lot of his proposals were rejected by Congress. Furthermore, America suffered from economic problems in the aftermath of the war, such as shortages and strikes. In 1948 he appeared to be doomed to lose the election to Thomas Dewey, but he won. The result was so unexpected that the Chicago Tribune famously ran the wrong headline. By 1952, he had lost his popularity due to corruption amongst senior members of his cabinet and White House staff. Truman was a supporter of Civil Rights and ordered desegregation of the millitary, but achieved very little due to fierce opposition from Democrats in the Southern states.

Truman's presidency also saw great changes abroad. He oversaw the founding of the United Nations and NATO, the Marshall Plan to assist Western Europe, the Berlin Airlift and the Korean War. He died in 1972.

Answer 2

"Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884�December 26, 1972) was the thirty-third President of the United States (1945�1953); as Vice President, he succeeded to the office upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt. In domestic affairs, Truman faced challenge after challenge: a tumultuous reconversion of the economy marked by severe shortages, numerous strikes and the passage of the Taft-Hartley Act over his veto. After confounding all predictions to win re-election in 1948, he was able to pass almost none of his Fair Deal program. He used executive orders to begin desegregation of the U.S. armed forces and to launch a system of loyalty checks to remove thousands of Communist sympathizers from government office; he was nevertheless under continuous assault for much of his term for supposedly being "soft on Communism." Corruption in his administration reached the cabinet and senior White House staff; 166 of his appointees were fired for financial misbehavior in the Internal Revenue Service alone. Republicans made corruption a central issue in the 1952 campaign.

Truman's presidency was eventful in foreign affairs, starting with victory over Germany, the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the surrender of Japan and the end of World War II, the founding of the United Nations, the Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe, the Truman Doctrine to contain Communism, the beginning of the Cold War, the creation of NATO, and the Korean War. The war became a frustrating stalemate, with over 30,000 Americans killed. Highlighting what he considered to be Truman's failures ("Korea! Communism! Corruption!"), Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower ended 20 years of Democratic rule in 1952 by defeating Adlai Stevenson, Truman's choice to lead his party's ticket. In retirement, Truman wrote his well-regarded Memoirs.

Truman, whose demeanor was very different from that of the patrician Roosevelt, was a folksy, unassuming president; he popularized such phrases as "The buck stops here" and "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen." He overcame the low expectations of many political observers who compared him (unfavorably) to his highly regarded predecessor. Truman was forced out of his re-election campaign in 1952 after losing the first primary. His public opinion ratings were the lowest on record, but scholars today rank him among the top ten Presidents. His legendary upset victory in 1948 is routinely invoked by underdog presidential candidates."

A lot of people say Truman was a good president. it depends on if you agreed with Truman about killing hundred thousands of people in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. If you were with the desicion then yes, he was a good president. If you werent then in your opinion he wasnt.

Answer 3

Events during Harry Truman's presidency

• May 8, 1945 : VE Day . WW II ends in Europe

• July, 1945 Potsdam Conference with Stalin

• August 6,9,10: Truman authorized dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki; Japan surrenders the next day.

• 1947 Taft-Hartley Act passed over Truman's veto- allowed non-union workers in union shops

• 1947 President Succession Act passed-- still in effect

• United nations began meeting in New York

• Marshall Plan to reconstruct Europe

• June,1948 Berlin Blockade by the Russians and Berlin Airlift

• 1948 State of Israel created with Truman's support

• 1949-1952 Korean War

• 1952 Steel Strike- Truman orders government take-over; ruled unconstitutional

Answer 4

He didn't. Truman was a Senator from Missouri who had gained some recognition as Chairman of a Senate Committee investigating the money spent on the war. Roosevelt and his advisers decided to drop the incumbent Vice President, Henry Wallace, from the ticket. They worried that Wallace was too Liberal, and were concerned what might happen if he were to follow Roosevelt as President. It was a closely guarded secret but well-known in Roosevelt's inner circle just how sick Roosevelt was by that time. Truman was recruited by Roosevelt's people to replace Wallace as Vice Presidential candidate in 1944. Truman was Vice President for less than ninety days when Roosevelt died, during which time he had barely spoken to Roosevelt and had been given little information about anything.

Truman ran again in 1948, wanting to finish what he had begun. Few gave him a chance, but he campaigned hard the last few weeks and pulled out a victory over Dewey in 1948.

Answer 5

He was sworn in after the death of Franklin Delano Roosevelt on April 12, 1945, at the end of World War II. He then served up to January 20, 1953.

Answer 6

Truman was Vice President in Franklin Roosevelt's fourth term. When Roosevelt died, Truman became President.