jan 5, 1949 - Truman Proposes Fair Deal

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Proposed by President Truman and progressive Democrats, the fair deal was meant to extend the New Deal. The program included national health insurance, aid to education, a housing program, expansion of Social Security, a higher minimum wage, and a new agricultural program. However, this was shot down by conservatives in Congress. This contributed to the Cold War because it drove conservative Republicans and progressive Democrats farther apart from each other, and created fears of communist/socialist legislation in the United States. Conservatives saw any kind of welfare programs as socialist government interference. The nation had a conservative population at the time, so the Fair Deal would have seemed communist to the population, which contributed to the hatred of communists in the Cold War era United States.

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