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In 1948 Truman decided to run again for President, since he had the feeling, that still a lot of work was unfinished. The only one he would have supported himself was General Eisenhower, but the General had no intentions to became candidate. After Truman won the primaries, he made his opponent Barkley candidate for Vice President, and promised him to "give 'em ( = the Republicans) hell".
So Truman made a phenomenal campaign in 1948. In the beginning his popularity (which had suffered because of his hesitation at the Palestine question) was at 36% and so he began a huge speaking-tour across the country. Everywhere huge crowds were listening to him, since the people were curious about their president.
Harry Truman made a great show. He showed that he was an American just like his listeners, and that he knew their worries. Truman said, that he cared about the prosperity of the masses and not as the Republicans only about the privileged ones. He accused the Republican-dominated Congress of slowing down his work and draw the attention on the good economy which he claimed to be a result of his work. He promised the "Fair Deal" of increased social welfare and public health expenditure. His speeches were no longer poor but very positive and honest. "Give 'em hell, Harry" became his slogan, and he later added: "I never gave anybody hell, I just told the truth and they thought it was hell." The combination of his new style of presentation and a couple of good ideas in the campaign (e.g.: he was the first to translate his speeches in other languages, so that every non-English-newspaper in the country printed them) made him regaining more and more votes.
His most important challengers Henry Wallace (Progressive Party) and John Dewey (Republican Party) made good campaigns too, and in the end, everyone was sure, Dewey would win. In poll made among journalists 1 week before the election 50 out of 50 said, Dewey would win. But the people of the United States decided otherwise and re-elected Harry S. Truman to their President. Now he really was the elected President and he no more worried about being at the wrong place.
In his inauguration speech he promised to realise his "Fair Deal" and also to continue his foreign policy and support the United Nation Organisation more than before. He also introduced his plans of building up the NATO, which was then founded in April 1949.
Spring 1949 was a good time for Truman, he started with his Fair Deal, did a lot on Civil Rights, reformed the structures of the FBI, founded the CIA, and the press praised his sovereign handling in Berlin. The Marshall plan proved to be successful and his European allies rebuilt their cities very fast. Also had the threat of communism disappeared in Greece, France, Italy and Turkey.
But in summer the atmosphere turned once again. China became entirely communistic and founded a people's republic, Russia developed the a-bomb. The American reaction to this unexpected event was the announcement of the H-bomb, a "super"-nuclear bomb, which should be 10 times as devastating as the one used in Hiroshima. The necessity of the "super"-bomb was discussed in the press, because of it's enormous costs, but the majority was sure, that America had to stay on the top in the nuclear race. Except the US-navy and it's nuclear depot, the American army was inferior to the mighty Red Army and so Truman hoped to balance it with having more nuclear capacity.
The Republican senator McCarthy turned out to be another problem, since he accused the government to be under communistic influence and created an anti-communistic paranoia.
In march 1950, Truman's popularity was again down at 37%. But the real "hell" laid still before him.
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