Harry S. Truman was the 33rd president of the United States, being in office from 1945 to 1953. Truman demonstrates uses of both expressed and inherent powers throughout his presidency. During the years of his first administration, Truman attended the Potsdam Conference alongside Churchill and Stalin to discuss post-war matters regarding the decision to split up Germany. Throughout this time period of war filled with tension among nations, Truman approved the dropping of atomic bombs on Japan in efforts to end the war in the Pacific and prevent any possible future casualties that Japan may inflict on the United States. The first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, and the second was dropped on Nagasaki on August 9. Although Truman’s …show more content…
Although most of the American population disagreed with many of his decisions, those controversial decisions have over time been proven to be nothing but beneficial and necessary to the nation. Truman demonstrated exemplary action as Commander in Chief, sending troops overseas to fight in the war against North Korea as he saw fit during the time of the Cold War. He made quick and bold decisions under challenging pressures, especially with the controversy of atomic bombs present at the time. Truman was a solid and dependable individual when building relations with foreign nations, especially with his contributions through the United Nations, making him successful in regards to being the Chief Diplomat. His roles as Chief Executive and Chief of State were explicitly represented through the well-organized bureaucracy and the fact that he was a well-respected power of authority within the government. Truman signed several successful bills while in office, such as the National Security Act, Fair Deal Program, and Housing Act, among many others. He was sure to make decisions that would benefit not only the nation as a whole but his specific party alignment as well. The economy during the time of his presidency was neither flourishing or in a critical state. Overall, Truman was found to be successful in regard to the seven different roles and guidelines that a favorable president is to meet …show more content…
The controversy over his decision to drop atomic bombs on Japan is a prime example of this, for it is claimed that he took advantage of his abilities as Commander in Chief. However, the American nation was in clear danger, which compelled Truman to take critical action. Whether or not there was a better method to keeping the United States safe is up for debate, but that does not take away from the fact that his mission to keep Japan from inflicting deaths on American individuals was successful. Ultimately, Truman’s greatest concern as the president is to make difficult choices such as this one that no other average individual would be courageous enough to make. Looking past his decision to use atomic weapons as the path to fighting, Truman’s actions of utilizing his powers are completely