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This chapter focuses on Harry S Truman, who became president at a time when the world was consumed by war. Truman's decisive and tough character, however, portrayed him as “a supremely tough, decisive leader” who, from the start, was completely in control of his entire administration.
By any definition, Truman's job was big. Never before had the United States been so powerful. It was indisputably the world's wealthiest and most productive nation; its military might was awesome; its opportunities for internal and interna tional development unparalleled. Presi dent Truman and his Administration had the means, the motives, and ...
During his time in office Truman took steps to establish order on the government apparatus that surrounded him. His passion for an efficient government led him to call for a reorganization of the executive branch.
Truman was, throughout his political career, a party man and, as such, he accepted the logic of patronage while rejecting the necessity of graft. Even the most hostile observers remark on Truman's personal integrity.
Truman responded to the Soviet challenge with a range of political, diplomatic, military, and economic initiatives designed to contain Soviet power and to construct an American-led bulwark against communism. In large measure, American officials followed Truman's approach to U.S.-Soviet relations until the end of the Cold War in the early 1990s.
The Truman Administration refers to the presidency of Harry S. Truman from 1945 to 1953, a pivotal period marked by significant political, social, and economic changes in post-World War II America. It is closely associated with the beginning of the Cold War, efforts to contain communism, and the impact of domestic policies like the Fair Deal.
Nothing could have been further from Truman's own mind. Though never closely associated with the presidency before 1945, he had great respect for it, based on historical study and the belief that the executive branch should lead but not dominate the Federal government. He ac-cepted at face value the philosophy of balance of power written into
