"The Four Point Speech": Harry S. Truman's 1949 Inauguration Speech Analysis

Watch the Full Inauguration Speech Here: • 1949 Inauguration Spee...
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It seems at this moment in time that war and destruction are more prevalent than ever.
The prospect of nuclear apocalypse has reared its ugly head after a long time.
What makes these times remarkable, is that we have been living in relative peace for decades now.
Whilst the recent conflicts are shocking, part of the shock comes from the fact we thought we had left this all behind.
We saw a similar situation in the late 1940s.
We thought we had left war behind with the devastation of WW2. But really it was just planting the seeds for the third major conflict of the 20th century, the Cold War.
Into this situation steps President Harry Truman.
Truman found himself thrust into the role of leadership towards the end of the Second World War, with the death of President FDR.
It was Truman who would oversee the conclusion of that conflict with his authorisation of the military use of the nuclear bomb.
Whilst this act might have seemed like a decisive conclusion, it was really just an ominous new beginning.
A new enemy was on the horizon: the Soviet Union.
After the destruction of the global war, vast political, social, and economic changes came into effect, and two ideologies of how to proceed with these changes developed. Capitalism backed by the US, and Communism backed by the USSR.
Truman was leading during this time, initially unelected. It wasn't until 1948 that he faced the ballot, and it didn't look good for him.
His party, the Democrats, were marred by infighting. Yet, Truman managed to pull off one of the greatest election upsets in the US history and secure another term, this time with the backing of the electorate.
Truman's official inauguration speech is strange because instead of it being Day 1 of his leadership and setting out his stall, he has been serving for years and telling the audience "what's next?".
This address is sometimes referred to as "The Four Point Speech", and unlike his predecessors "The Only Thing We Have to Fear", it is not considered one of the classics.
In my US Inauguration Speech Analysis Series, I take on this speech next. We look at what we can learn from this speech and how Truman manages the difficult context in which he speaks. I'll also examine some of the reasons why this is not considered a classic, and where Truman could've improved.
If you are interested in public speaking coaching, drop me a message on Linkedin:
/ david-mccrae-msc-b9a94440

[@MerlyneAkwir]

Thank you for a comprehensive analysis of Truman's speech. This video has helped me a great deal 👏👏👏!

[@david_mccrae]

Glad it helped :)

[@stavrojacobi3173]

*promosm* 💘