Portrait of Harry S. Truman
Center-right · Leader · From history

Harry S. Truman

US President, 1945 to 1953

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Ordered the atomic bombings of Japan, launched the Marshall Plan and the Truman Doctrine and desegregated the US military.

Harry S. Truman sits in the left-authoritarian part of the Caucus economy and liberty compass: slightly state-led and slightly authoritarian. The clearest positions are strongly interventionist on interventionism, strongly strength-first on war and peace and leaning tech-optimist on technology.

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Where Harry S. Truman sits on ten dimensions

Each scale runs from one pole to the other, and the dot shows the overall tendency of this person's record and public life. These are simplified estimates and open to debate.

💰EconomySlightly state-led
State-ledFree market
⚖️Liberty and authoritySlightly authoritarian
LibertarianAuthoritarian
🎭CultureSlightly traditional
ProgressiveTraditional
🌍NationSlightly nationalist
GlobalistNationalist
🌱EnvironmentSlightly growth-first
Growth-firstNature-first
🤖TechnologyLeaning tech-optimist
Tech-cautiousTech-optimist
🕊️War and peaceStrongly strength-first
Peace-firstStrength-first
🏛️InstitutionsLeaning institutional
Anti-establishmentInstitutional
🙏ReligionLeaning religious
SecularReligious
🛡️InterventionismStrongly interventionist
Non-interventionistInterventionist

People most like Harry S. Truman

John F. Kennedy US President, 1961 to 196399%Dwight D. Eisenhower US President, 1953 to 196198%Lyndon B. Johnson US President, 1963 to 196998%Golda Meir Prime Minister of Israel, 1969 to 197498%Henry Kissinger US National Security Adviser and Secretary of State, 1923 to 202397%Winston Churchill UK Prime Minister, 1940 to 1945 and 1951 to 195597%David Ben-Gurion First Prime Minister of Israel, 1948 to 1954 and 1955 to 196397%Yitzhak Rabin Prime Minister of Israel, 1974 to 1977 and 1992 to 199597%

People furthest from Harry S. Truman

Emma Goldman Russian-born anarchist and writer, 1869 to 19405%Leo Tolstoy Russian novelist and moral thinker, 1828 to 19105%John Lennon British musician and peace activist, 1940 to 19806%Murray Rothbard American economist, 1926 to 19957%

Political views closest to Harry S. Truman

Hawkish realismSees the world as a contest between states, where military strength and alliances secure…97%NeoconservatismPairs free markets and traditional values with an assertive, democracy-promoting foreign…96%GaullismA French tradition of national independence, a strong presidency and a leading role for…92%Realism in foreign policySees international politics as a contest of power and interests in which states act to…92%

Read more about Harry S. Truman

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Biographies of Harry S. TrumanBooks on hawkish realism

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Percentages show how close two profiles are across all ten dimensions. Including a person here is for study and comparison, not approval. Portrait: National Archives and Records Administration. Office of Presidential Libraries. Harry S. Truman Library., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; see all photo credits.