Ch.20.3:Domestic Politics
and PoliciesPP. 680-686
Key Qs
• What were Truman’s domestic policies as outlined in his Fair Deal?
• How was Truman able to win the election of 1948? Why is the election notable?
• What was the Republican approach to government during the Eisenhower presidency?
Key Terms
• Reconversion
• Taft-Hartley Act
• Modern Republicanism
• National Defense Education Act
Setting the Scene
• The 1950’s were very conservative
- Both politically and culturally
- Explain….
• Truman struggled with moving to a peacetime economy
• Eisenhower used a low-key approach• Genial, reassuring manner made him one of
the most popular Presidents after WWII
Truman’s Domestic Policies
• Truman wanted to follow in FDR’s footsteps
• He often appeared ill-prepared for the presidency
• He offered a new patch of proposals in every speech
The Peacetime Economy
• Truman’s first priority was reconversion • The social and economic transition form
wartime to peacetime• Got most soldiers home by 1946• Keeping wartime inflation in check was more
difficult• Similar problems to those after WWI
The Peacetime Economy Cont.
• Truman passed the Taft-Hartley Act:• Passed in 1947• Allowed the President to
declare a 80-day cooling off period in which strikers had to return to work
• This was only allowed in industries that affected national interest
• Also made union officials sign oaths saying that they were not Communists
Truman’s Fair Deal
• Truman supported Roosevelt’s New Deal
• He used the well-known name and called his program the Fair Deal
• This extended the policies in the New Deal
• Truman thought that the Government needs to play an active role in securing economic justice for all American citizens
• He created a 21 point program
Fair Deal Cont.
• Truman ran into tremendous political opposition
• One measure that was passed was the Employment Act of 1946
• Truman lost a lot of support during the 1946 mid-term elections
Truman on Civil Rights
• He recognized that he had to take action on Civil Rights
• He publicly supported civil rights
• Change came very slowly
• Met with African American leaders in 1946
• Created the biracial Committee on Civil Rights in December of 1946• They were in charge of looking into race
relations
The Election of 1948
• Truman ran for another term
• His popularity diminished in his own party
• Southern democrats broke off and created the Dixiecrat Party and nominated J. Strom Thurmond
• Progressive Party was headed by Henry Wallace
• Republican was Thomas E. Dewey
1948 Election Results
• All experts and polls had Dewey winning the election
• Truman won in a big upset
• Democrats won control of Congress
• Truman finally was able to step out of FDR’s shadow
1952/Eisenhower becomes President
• Dwight Eisenhower was the commander in chief of the Allied forces
• Known as Ike
• During WWII, he forged agreements among Allied military commanders
• Easy going charm
• K1C2 strategy by the Republicans
The Checkers Speech• In response to allegations that Eisenhower’s
running mate, Richard Nixon, was using a special fund• Accused of receiving illegal gifts
• Nixon had done nothing wrong
• People wanted Ike to dump Nixon from his ticket
• He gave a speech denying these allegations
• He told Americans to contact the Eisenhower campaign to say if he should stay on the ticket or not
• He got overwhelming support to stay on the ticket
Eisenhower as President
• He wanted to work behind the scenes
• Critics thought this meant he lacked leadership
• The American people approved of his style
• In the 1956 election Dwight Eisenhower won and was reelected• Defeated IL Governor Adlai
Stevenson in both elections
Modern Republicanism
• “Conservative when it comes to money, liberal when it comes to human beings”
• Priorities included cutting spending, reducing taxes, and balancing the budget• Smaller government, opposite direction of FDR & Truman
• He was in favor of big business• Cabinet members were businessmen• “8 millionaires & a plumber”
• But…• In 1954 and 1956 Social Security was extended to make 10
million more workers eligible • Minimum wage increased from 75 cents to $1
Eisenhower’s Presidency
• His attempts to cut gov’t spending backfired
• The economy slumped; growth slowed
• The deficit grew
• Economic recession in 53-54, 57, & 60-61
Meeting the Technology Challenge
• In response to Sputnik the US government created the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
• Congress passed and Eisenhower signed into law the National Defense Education Act• Designed to improve science and
math instruction in the schools• Low-cost loans to college
students if they became teachers