| Harry S. Truman HARRY S. TRUMAN(1884-1972), 33d president of the United States. Most Americans in the 1950s did not expect that Harry Truman would become one of their most highly regarded presidents. By 1952, just before he announced his decision not to run again, only 25% of the people thought he was doing a good job. Within a decade, however, most American historians regarded him as one of the nation's greatest presidents. To be sure, a "revisionist view developed that attacked his record at home and abroad, picturing him as ineffective in some areas, oppressive in others, and as the architect of the Cold War. Yet the favorable appraisal seemed to be the dominant American view. Appraisals of presidents depend on the observer's assumptions concerning what leaders should try to accomplish and what they are capable of accomplishing. Obviously, Truman was not so effective in domestic affairs as his predecessor, Franklin ROOSEVELT , had been in the 1930's, but Truman's opportunities were smaller. He might have accomplished more had he pressed his proposals more boldly, yet his appraisal of political realities persuaded him that he could not do so. He was unable to gain acceptance for many new domestic proposals in such areas as health and education, but he provided publicity for them. He expanded and improved established programs and defended them against attempts by their foes to weaken them. And he worked harder on behalf of civil rights than any of his predecessors. | |
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