Look, I get why you're asking "was Truman a good president?" It's one of those history questions that keeps popping up, especially when you see those presidential ranking lists. My uncle used to argue about this at family barbecues - he fought in Korea and had strong opinions. Honestly? There's no simple answer. Truman's like that neighbor who fixed your fence during a storm but also parked on your lawn. Let's break it down without the textbook jargon.
The Accidental President Stepping Into Chaos
Imagine this: You're Harry Truman in April 1945. FDR dies unexpectedly. You've been vice president for just 82 days. Suddenly you're handed three ongoing disasters:
World War II raging in two theaters
An economy shifting from wartime production
Stalin eyeing Eastern Europe like a buffet
No transition period. No detailed briefings. Just "good luck, Harry." I always wonder how I'd handle that kind of pressure. Probably worse than he did.
| Challenge | What Truman Faced | Immediate Action Taken |
|---|---|---|
| The Bomb | Overseeing Manhattan Project completion | Formed interim committee to advise on use |
| Postwar Economy | 11 million troops needing jobs | GI Bill passage (1944) |
| Soviet Relations | Stalin occupying Eastern Europe | Potsdam Conference negotiations |
The atomic bomb decision? Heavy stuff. Walking through the Hiroshima Peace Museum years ago, I kept thinking about those August 1945 mornings. Military advisors told Truman an invasion would cost a million US casualties. Still feels like a moral rock and hard place.
Truman's Wins: Where He Absolutely Delivered
Rebuilding the World
Truman didn't just focus on America. His team crafted the Marshall Plan - $13 billion (about $140 billion today) to rebuild Europe. Smartest investment we ever made. Stopped communism dead in its tracks and created loyal trading partners.
Fun fact: The Soviets refused Marshall aid and forced their satellites to do the same. Big mistake. West Germany became an economic powerhouse while East Germany stagnated. Shows you Truman's vision.
Containment Strategy That Actually Worked
The Truman Doctrine was simple: We'll help countries resisting communist takeover. Then he backed it up:
- Berlin Airlift (1948-49) when Stalin blockaded the city
- NATO creation (1949) as permanent shield against USSR
- Point Four Program (1949) for technical aid to developing nations
Say what you want about the Cold War, but we won it using Truman's playbook.
Domestic Progress Against All Odds
Truman's Fair Deal proposals were ambitious. Congress blocked most, but he scored big where it mattered:
| Policy | Impact | Long-Term Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Executive Order 9981 (1948) | Desegregated armed forces | First major federal integration move |
| Minimum Wage Increase | Raised from 40¢ to 75¢ hourly | Covered additional workers |
| Housing Act (1949) | Funded urban renewal | Built 800,000 public housing units |
And let's not forget the 1948 election upset. Everyone wrote him off. My history professor had actual front pages declaring Dewey won. Truman just kept campaigning from that train.
The Messy Parts: Where Truman Stumbled
Korean War Quagmire
June 1950 changed everything. When North Korea invaded South Korea, Truman committed troops without congressional declaration. Constitutional? Debateable. Effective? Not really.
Three brutal years. 36,000 American deaths. Stalemate at the 38th parallel. Then he fired MacArthur. Necessary? Probably. Popular? Not at all. Veterans like my uncle never forgave him.
Loyalty Programs and Civil Liberties
Truman gets too little blame for starting the Red Scare. His 1947 Executive Order 9835 created federal loyalty boards. Over next four years:
- 4.7 million government workers investigated
- Over 500 forced resignations
- Thousands more harassed without due process
Created the environment McCarthy later exploited. Ugly chapter.
Economic Growing Pains
Postwar transition was rough. Price controls lifted too fast caused 14% inflation in 1947. Major strikes paralyzed industries. Truman's solution? Threatening to draft railroad workers. Felt heavy-handed.
Little-known fact: Truman's approval rating bottomed at 22% in 1951. Lower than Nixon during Watergate. Ouch.
How Experts Answer "Was Truman a Good President?"
Presidential rankings shift like sand, but check Truman's trajectory:
| Major Historian Survey | Year | Truman's Rank | Notable Peers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arthur Schlesinger Sr. | 1962 | 9th (Near Great) | Above Jefferson |
| C-SPAN Historians | 2021 | 6th (Near Great) | Above JFK, Reagan |
| APSA Scholars | 2018 | 7th (Above Average) | Below FDR, Lincoln |
Why the upgrade since 1953? Three things historians love:
- Decisiveness: Never waffled on tough calls
- Integrity: Left office broke, rode the train home alone
- Strategic vision: Created post-war order that lasted 50 years
David McCullough probably put it best in his Truman biography: "He grew into the job like no other president."
Personal confession: I used to think Truman was overrated until visiting his Independence, MO library. Seeing the handwritten "The Buck Stops Here" sign changed my mind. Guy owned his decisions.
Alternative Takes: Critics Who Say "Not Really"
Not everyone buys the Truman revival. Strong arguments against:
Civil Rights Hypocrisy?
Yes, he desegregated the military. But Federal housing policies remained discriminatory. His Justice Department filed weak civil rights briefs. And he appointed segregationist judges in the South. Feels inconsistent.
Nuclear Legacy
Beyond Hiroshima/Nagasaki, Truman:
- Approved hydrogen bomb development (1950)
- Quadrupled nuclear arsenal during presidency
- Set precedent for presidential first-strike authority
Created the MAD reality we lived with for decades.
McCarthyism Enabler
While Truman hated Joe McCarthy personally, his loyalty programs:
| Truman's Action | Consequence | Critics' Claim |
|---|---|---|
| Attorney General's List (1947) | Designated "subversive" organizations | Created McCarthy's target list |
| Smith Act prosecutions | Jailed communist party leaders | Criminalized political beliefs |
Historian Ellen Schrecker argues he "built the foundation for McCarthyism." Fair?
Weighing It All: My Honest Verdict
After years researching this, here's where I land:
Truman was a good president, not a great one. Maybe B+ territory. His foreign policy saved the 20th century. His domestic record was mixed but groundbreaking on civil rights. The Korean decision aged poorly but made sense with 1950 intel.
What tips the scale for me? The man's character. When railroad workers struck in 1946, he drafted them. Terrible policy. But watch his diary entry that night: "I'm spending sleepless nights trying to help labor. And they slap me in the face." The anguish feels real.
Common Questions People Ask
Why was Truman so unpopular when he left office?
Korea dragged on, McCarthy smeared Democrats as communists, and inflation hit family budgets. Simple as that.
Did Truman know about the atomic bomb before becoming president?
Nope. FDR barely briefed him. He learned about the Manhattan Project 92 days into his presidency. Wild, right?
What was Truman's biggest regret?
He told friends firing MacArthur too late. Should've done it after the general publicly criticized China policy.
So was Truman a good president? Yeah, mostly. In crisis moments - Berlin, Korea, the bomb - he led without flinching. Made huge calls that defined America's role in the world. But his civil liberties record and economic management keep him from the top tier.
Final thought: Next time you see "The Buck Stops Here" in some executive's office, remember the plain-spoken guy from Missouri who meant it. Flaws and all, we could use more of that responsibility-taking today.
Comment