I heard that Harry Truman had one of the lowest approval ratings for any president and I was wondering why he was so unpopular. Were people mad at him because he used atomic weapons on Japan... was that the reason??
or was it something else?
2007-11-10 17:43:11 · 8 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities ➔ History
I think it was two factors. First he followed behind FDR, that's a hard act to follow. Second, the period of time immediately after the war was a tense and uncertain time for the USA, and I think it would have been nearly impossible to have high approval at a time like that.
I don't think the use of the A-bombs was a factor. At the time it was seen as a necessary step, and the Bomb was a huge technical and military advantage for the US, it was not the horror that it is today.
2007-11-10 18:03:21 · answer #1 · answered by rohak1212 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
There could be many reasons for Truman's unpopularity. I'm not an American, but I never liked Truman mainly because of what he did to the White House. He ripped the history out of the building including all of the 18th and 19th century artifacts, built the West Wing [I think this was Truman] and turned the place into something looking like the interior of a small town movie theater of the 1930s. Yuk!!
I have seen magnificent drawings of the interior of the White House around the period of Tom Jefferson onwards. Americans can only weep at what Truman, the barbarian, did to their history and their house.
"Harry, can you hear me now?"
2007-11-11 02:19:34 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
He was unpopular because he was brutally honest. He told people what he really thought, he intimidated people to get what he wanted, & he cussed in public. Today, that would be refreshing from a politician. But, in Truman's time, that kind of behavior was socially unacceptable.
2007-11-11 01:57:53 · answer #3 · answered by IamCount 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Both the fact he followed a very popular president and fired a popular general are reasons for his unpopularity.
2007-11-11 02:38:48 · answer #4 · answered by William 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
where did you get your data from???
In this survey he is in the top third in popularity:
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/favorables/presidential_favorables
In this survey he is rated #8:
http://americanhistory.about.com/od/uspresidents/tp/toppresidents.htm
He came to power at a difficult time and although he did make the decision to drop the A-Bomb he was also very influential in the Marshall Plan for the recovery of Europe and the Japanese Redevelopment plan.
I don't know where you got that he was unpopular.
2007-11-11 02:50:59 · answer #5 · answered by Billeo 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
he FIRED McArthur, who had the RIGHT idea about WINNING the Korean "police action". If we had attacked air bases in Manchuria like Doug wanted to, the Korean conflict would have ended a year and a half earlier and China would not be the last communist power--there would be DEMOCRACY there now, when they have the world's LARGEST company--thier oil company is BIGGER than Exxon.
2007-11-11 02:01:50 · answer #6 · answered by Mike 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
He wasn't so unpopular. He had a tough act to follow after FDR died. FDR was dearly loved by the American people.
2007-11-11 02:02:29 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Maybe it's because he was from Missouri a state that doesn't have much power at all. Most people in politics and such view a leader as someone from a big state like Texas, California, Flordia, and New York. It could also be because he used a nuclear bomb on Japan and destroyed alot of homes and buisness and killed innocent children and people.
2007-11-11 01:49:16 · answer #8 · answered by pretty girl 1 · 0⤊ 3⤋