ABSTRACT
Most Americans greeted the end of World War II with relief as well as expectations of material improvement. The period from 1945 to the mid-1950s was full of uncertainty because of crises in both domestic and foreign affairs. These crises were so monumental that historian Eric Goldman famously referred to these years as the “crucial decade.” As World War II was drawing to a close, many Americans looked forward to a period of relative peace in foreign affairs and increasing prosperity at home. Instead, the decade following the war was characterized by substantial economic, political, and social upheaval. Harry Truman, from more humble economic origins than Roosevelt, had been a small businessman prior to becoming a politician. To some, he seemed to be bent on reversing Theodore Roosevelt’s economic policies. Early in his presidency, Harry Truman clashed openly and vigorously with labor, threatening to draft unionized railroad workers, who were on strike, into military service.
