Essay on Harry Truman's Inaugural Speech: Addressing National and International Affairs

During the Inauguration of the former United States president Harry Truman, he made a lengthy speech touching on several issues in the society both domestically and internationally. As he accepted the election to the highest office in the land, President Truman espoused to the American people and the world his understanding of national and international affairs as well as the ways in which he thought they could be improved in order to make living conditions better for everyone. Those issues touched on matters technology, economy, democracy as well as various initiatives touching on world politics as he envisioned. The main points also included the national security issues as stated by the president in his speech. Other international matters he prominently touched on include world peace, food security, and development among others. These are some of the key points that formed the basis of our study in this discussion ("Truman Inaugural Address, January 20, 1949").

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The main topic of our concern in relation to the president's speech were those that touched on science and industrial development, especially in developing nations. The president pointed out that more than half of the world population grappled with heart-wrenching poverty conditions that made their survival tough due to primitively and stagnation in the economic systems of these nations, among other development challenges. According to Mr. Truman, the world for the first time possessed the knowledge and skill that was necessary to relieve the suffering of such populations from their mystery, as informed by the advancement in various fields including technology, industrialization as well as science. These fields he alleged were dominated by the United States, especially technological knowledge and which could be used to assist the other nations of the world to develop in their own backgrounds ("Truman Inaugural Address, January 20, 1949").

The main assumption here was that the United States were the pioneers of technological advancement that made it possible to stamp out the poverty in these developing nations which were the most affected. While it is true that the United States is a front runner in driving technological advancement, it might not be entirely correct to credit it single-handedly for the advances in the various sectors of the world economy that are characteristic of today's modern society. However, the US has been a front runner in leading global trends due to its highly educated classes of the society that churn out innovations after the other resulting from democracy and over time have been exported to other nations that use these innovations to better their own existence. The highly developed social system and democracy in the United States is also an example to many other nations of the world, which have emulated it in an effort to improve their social systems, leading to an advancement in the politics and other aspects of living in these actions. This, in essence, has improved the welfare of these nations with assurance being drawn from the United States' continued successes in economic affairs and other areas of the normal everyday living ("Truman Inaugural Address, January 20, 1949").

In his speech, the president argues rather correctly that the standards of living of other countries could be raised from their current status by increasing industrial activity in these nations. The methods to achieve this fit as suggested include the incorporation of a system where private capital, agriculture, and labour form the central basis of the economy, ensuring the development and sufficient running of the business. This is the common system that we see in the economies of many countries of the modern day, and a trend in which the United States is the foremost runner in its imposition. This system is opposed to the old imperialism system where economic exploitation was rampant and done at the expense of the legitimate owners of these resources. In such a system as suggested by Truman however, the exploitation may not be weeded out completely, but may still exist in a different and more localized manner. Corruption by government officials is one way in which this vice still stands in modern societies, as is the case in most Egypt. The democracy that prevails in these countries also give the privileged members of the society an opportunity to exploit the poor, creating an imbalance in the economic composition of the society (Mitchell, 2002).

Development according to Truman, is also dependent on greater production, which is arrived at through vigorous application of modern scientific and technical knowledge and which in turn results in prosperity and peace in the societies where they are applied. In this manner, the application of technology and knowledge in the exploitation of the nation's resources is bound to increase the industrial production in these economies. Similarly, the application of modern scientific methods of exploitation of these resources is beneficial in improving the industrial capacity, bringing about economic freedom in the community, therefore bringing about development in these countries as applied.

Looking at the various economic and industrial development in developing nations, we can relate these concepts as applied both in ancient and modern times and see the progress that has resulted in their adoption. Egypt, for example, has been a centre for many historical firsts and continues to lead the way among developing nations when it comes to economic growth, industrialization, and self-sustainability. Egypt is also one of the major countries in the developing world that have been steadfast in adopting modern technology and science. Its application has seen the country expand its development in various fields of the economy including commerce, agriculture, communication, and transport among others. The country has however been subject to tumultuous governance for most of the previous two centuries, beginning from the time of Muhammed Pasha in the early 1800s. Due to the military expansions as overseen by his regime, Egypt was able to organize its agriculture and other productive sectors of the economy, emerging as one of the most developed economies in the African continent. This is despite its limited usable land given that most of the country lies in the Sahara desert, making the most of it unusable in agricultural purposes. The grasp in agriculture enabled the country to sustain itself and develop its economic base so far allowing it to become a major economic powerhouse in the region (Khaled, 1998).

Over the centuries, Egypt has developed from the traditional imperialist system of the sultans that was common from the pre-1800 era. The agricultural innovations that arose as a result of efficient organization in the country allowed it to prosper throughout these centuries despite the limited resources that were available. Over time, agriculture paved the way for industrial development as the main backbone of the development of Egyptian society. These innovations coupled with the improvements brought about by the technological application have allowed the country to increase its industrial production, giving it the ability to sustain its large population over the years. The incorporation of a system where private capital, agriculture, and labour run the economy has allowed Egypt thus to increase its economic development bolstered by the improvement of technology. This is in line with President Truman's' visions as regards the improvement in industrial production as a means for improving the livelihoods of the citizens of less privileged nations. However, widespread corruption by government officials deter these effort resulting stagnation in development (Mitchell, 2002).

Furthermore, the democratic system in Egypt has over the years increased its uptake of technology by incorporating modern technology and science in most areas of the economy. This includes the education sector, where skills are passed and new ones developed. As opposed to the old times where there were limited education opportunities, modern Egypt features an improved and modern education system giving the opportunity to new professionals to impart their skills towards improving the welfare of their country. These skills are beneficial in trade improvements as well as the industrial capacity and therefore improving the overall welfare of the Egyptian community. This is also in line with Truman's aims in his speech as he notes the importance of these aspects application in the development of the economy. The modernization of Egypt's industries and uptake of technical knowledge through improved education systems has enabled it to improve the livelihoods of its citizens in this aspect (Mitchell, 1998).

Perhaps more than everything else, science has played a major role in the development and growth of modern Egypt as an economic powerhouse in the region. Application of modern science and research touches on almost all aspects of Egyptian society's existence today. As opposed to the practices of the past two centuries which were more based on religious beliefs and practices, modern Egypt employs scientific means to solve problems and enhance development in the community. The old generations, for instance, relied heavily on traditional beliefs as well as religion in areas such as medicine. During these times, patients would be treated or cared for according to the beliefs of the traditional or religious healers of the time, and their success was based more on the belief of the patient as opposed to any actual treatment (El Batawi, 1964). Similarly, the religious belief was responsible for stagnation in education, with the majority being educated only on religious beliefs. This resulted in the stagnation of the economy and created several challenges in terms of development in the country. Poverty thus was widespread across the nation as well as deaths resulting from these ways of living. The incorporation of modern science and research in current Egypt, however, diffused the situation drastically ever since its inception in the country. The benefits are seen from the widespread prosperity in the medical sector as well as the education sector that have enabled the country to attain enviable success so far. As a result, Egypt is among the most developed countries in the Africa of today, with the citizens enjoying unrivalled access to adequate health and education (Sayigh, 2012).

As stipulated in President Harry Truman's speech of 1949, several factors are necessary for development to be realized in any economy. The poverty and inadequacies resulting from inadequate systems are avoidable through the incorporation of modern living skills. The application of modern science in developing the economy as well as technological advances and innovations are essential in stamping out poverty and despair as well as improving the lives of the involved populations. This is evident in the changes that have taken place in Egypt beginning from the past two centuries to the modern days. The changes brought about by technological advancement and science has allowed the country to develop in several sectors as we have seen above, allowing it to emerge as one of the economic powerhouses in the African continent today.

Works Cited

"Truman Inaugural Address, January 20, 1949." Trumanlibrary.org. N.p., 2019. Web. 17 May 2019.

El Batawi, M. A., et al. "Byssinosis in the Egyptian cotton industry: changes in ventilatory capacity during the day." Occupational and Environmental Medicine 21.1 (1964): 13-19.

Fahmy, Khaled. "The Era of Muhammad 'Ali Pasha, 1805-1848." The Cambridge History of Egypt 2 (1998): 139-79.

Mitchell, Timothy. "Fixing the economy." Cultural studies 12.1 (1998): 82-101.

Mitchell, Timothy. "Para-sites of capitalism." Ru...