Compare and Contrast the Domestic Policies of Truman and Eisenhower

Compare and contrast the domestic policies of Eisenhower and Truman

Harry S Truman and Dwight David Eisenhower were both Presidents of the United States from the 1940s to 1950s, with the latter succeeding Truman. Both these presidents served two consecutive terms, despite the fact that Truman’s first term was given by default as the result of a misfortune, which brought him the nickname of ‘Accidental President’, and the suspicion and doubt by many of his capabilities as President. Truman and Eisenhower are both from the South, though both were born into considerably poor families, Truman had actually experienced poverty whereas Eisenhower was more privileged, to receive a more sheltered beginning; their social background influenced greatly their general belief and stance, enactment of policies, and their views on domestic affairs. Despite their social setback, Truman endeavoured in law and politics, and became a career politician during the Interbellum period, whilst Eisenhower a career soldier, who rose to prominence and became a General known for his planning of Operation Overlord, factoring greatly into his likeness and favourability by Americans, yet showed him as an inexperienced politician. Truman and Eisenhower were of opposing parties, yet Eisenhower had no political stance originally, it was only after his siding with the Republican party that he received the nickname, the ‘Middle Road’, due to the moderate political stance and likeness by both parties he had despite his party affiliation, Eisenhower’s liberal side showed particularly in his actions concerning healthcare, education and welfare, such as his expansion of Social Security, which similarly paralleled Truman’s attitudes towards social welfare. Despite such si...

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...w on social welfare derived from his social background of being born into a considerably poor family, so to sympathise by relating from experience; his public work schemes as a result of a lack of better alternatives and ulterior motives sourced to his military history. Nonetheless, it is evident in his attitude towards civil rights that Eisenhower is more conservative at heart, and that the differences in domestic policies undertaken are lesser than the similarities with Truman, whose unfulfilled goals, very timid changes and agenda was due primarily to the hostile, conservative/Republican dominated Congress, a relationship that would severely hinder, impede the progress of an administration, in addition to the antagonism towards any proposal that connoted socialism as a result of paranoia and hysteria caused by McCarthy in his witch-hunts and smear campaign.