Studies On The Veterans Benefit Policies Under The Truman Administration

After the World War II, the problem of providing benefits for a large number of veterans lay ahead of the Truman administration. A series of bills enacted by the federal government helped the veterans return to civilian life. The Truman administration addressed the veterans’ problem creatively with a set of adaptation on the previous policies. The benefit policies were of diverse contents, wide range of beneficiaries, and high rate of utilization, providing a reference for the future government. Meanwhile, the process of solving the veterans’ problem was also a period when the social transition and the development of education, living condition, and social welfare happened. After the World War Ⅱ, the federal government had to think about how to promote the economy with the depression of military industry. Fortunately, by pursuing benefits for the veterans, it opened a new way for the economy development. The employment and housing situation in US became severer after the soldiers retired from the military. To solve the employment problem, on one hand, the government made great efforts to create more jobs, and offered preferential policies of employment for veterans; on the other hand, the employment situation was alleviated by providing further education opportunities for veterans. A large number of veterans had received various kinds of education and training, not only easing the employment tension, but also contributing to the improvement of national quality and the development of college education. In addition, the federal government took advantage of the housing for veterans to develop the construction industry and upgrade the slums. The development of the construction industry not only provided a lot of jobs, but also boosted the related economy. However, at that time, there still existed the discrimination of black veterans and other unharmonious factors. The status of black veterans did not change although they served in the armed forces, who were also treated unfairly during the process of implementing benefit policies for veterans. Most of them did not have access to higher education, with only vocational training choice; in terms of housing, black veterans were excluded by the white community. Nevertheless, the Truman administration provided the most comprehensive postwar adaptation policies for the World War II veterans, having significant and profound effects in the US’s veterans benefit system building.