In the United States the end of World War II was followed by an uneasy transition from war to a peacetime economy. President
Truman was faced with the renewal of labor disputes that had remained in a dormant state during the war years, severe shortages
in housing and consumer products, and widespread dissatisfaction with inflation, which at one point rose by 6% in a single
month. In this polarized environment, a wave of strikes destabilized major industries, and Truman's response to them was generally
seen as ineffective. In the spring of 1946, a national railway strike, which had never happened in the country, led virtually
all passengers and their luggage to remain at a standstill for over a month. When the railway workers and coal miners turned
down a proposed settlement, Truman seized control of the railways and threatened to deal with the issue of striking workers
with use of the armed forces. While delivering a speech before Congress requesting authority for this plan, Truman received
the news that the strike had been settled.
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