"The Ascent of Power," by David L. Roll

There are two lessons that stem from these few years in the immediate post-War period: One, never before, in the almost continuous history of man and warfare, had the vanquished been treated so well by the victor. And two, the division of Europe by the Iron Curtain, imposed by the Soviet Union in 1946, clearly demonstrated the economic, personal and political advantages of capitalism versus communism.

 

For anyone interested in the foundation for the remarkable economic growth in Europe and Japan – as well as the transition in the United States from a war economy to a peace economy – in the decades following the world’s most destructive war, this book, recommended by a friend, should be required reading. 

 

 

Sydney M. Williams

 

Burrowing into Books

Ascent of Power, David L. Roll

July 7, 2024

 

“I always felt that [Truman] understood me, not as a servant to be tolerated…President Roosevelt was

genial and warm but he left one feeling, as most aristocrats do, that they really do not understand one.”

                                                                                                        Alonzo Fields (1900-1994)

White House head butler

                                                                                                        My 21 Years in the White House, 1960         

                                                                                                        As quoted by David R. Roll

 

The devastation caused by World War II is virtually incalculable. During the almost six years between Germany’s invasion of Poland on January 1, 1939 and the Japanese surrender on August 15, 1945 approximately 75 million people died, two thirds of them civilians. Poland lost 19% of its population, the Soviet Union 14% and some islands in the South Pacific lost over 40% of their pre-war populations. Twenty percent of homes in Great Britain were destroyed and 40% of those in Germany. France estimated that the cost of the war was three times their national income. In Europe alone, there were an estimated 21 million refugees or “displaced persons.” With war’s end came the job of aiding survivors, replacing infrastructure, restoring economies and preventing the spread of Communism. It was left to Truman to lead the way.

 

Franklin Roosevelt died on April 12, 1945, less than a month before Germany’s surrender; so Vice President Harry Truman inherited the Presidency. David Roll writes in the Prologue: “Framed by the presidential elections of 1944 and 1948, this study captures the illusions of a dying president and the mistakes and triumphs of his successor, an arc of world history that separated those who found freedom from those consigned to live under tyranny for decades to come.” Truman, who had not been advised or prepared by Roosevelt, made the decision to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But his legacy – and the thrust of Roll’s story – is the role he played in Europe’s and Japan’s recovery: The Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan, the creation of NATO and the United Nations, the recovery of Japan, the birth of Israel, the Berlin airlift, and Civil Rights – prosecution of lynchings in federal courts, voting rights, equal employment opportunities, protection of the nation’s civil service, and the integration of the armed forces.

 

In a report to the nation on April 28, 1947, Secretary of State George Marshall is quoted by Mr. Roll: “A fundamental objective of our foreign policy was the achievement of a coordinated European economy…It was not just a matter of humanitarian relief…it is necessary for our national security.” Truman’s election in 1948 freed him from the yoke of Roosevelt – allowing him to be his own man, to work with Republicans like Senator Vandenberg. At his swearing in on January 20, 1949, Truman invoked his Point Four Program: unfaltering support of the United Nations, the Marshall Plan, NATO, “and the inexhaustible benefits of our scientific advances and industrial progress…to help people realize their aspirations for a better life.”

 

In terms of Europe’s and Japan’s recovery, Truman’s success could be seen in that by 1960, just fifteen years after the end of the War, West Germany had the world’s third largest economy and Japan its seventh.

 

Roll’s story is of a (seemingly) ordinary man who emerged from the shadow of an iconic President to accomplish remarkable things. In doing so, he changed for the better lives of millions. Roll quotes Winston Churchill speaking to Truman in 1952: “You more than any other man saved Western civilization.”

 

This is history well told.