Comparing The Ideologies Of Hoover And Roosevelt During The Great Depression

Charlotte Samuels
Muro
US II H
18 December 2014
The Ideologies of Hoover and Roosevelt During The Great Depression
The Great Depression hit America in October of 1929 and America took ten years to fully recover by the year of 1939. The Great Depression was a widespread issue that was the downfall of Americans living in urban and rural environments throughout the country. Two different presidents served their full presidencies within the time period of the Great Depression. Hoover who served as president from 1929-1933 and Franklin Delano Roosevelt who served between 1933-1945 both had their own individual hand at how to deal with the problem that was annihilating and harming Americans across the country. In the years that the Great Depression

When he was initiated into office Hoover was a pro-business man. He had belief in the individual man and he thought that the individual successful man was the prosperity of America. Hoover was a strong advocate of a small federal government and believed that the government should not have a heavy influence in the lives of the people. From the time that the stock market began to fall in October of 1929 to the time that the resurgence or the stock market emerged in 1932, stocks had lost more than 90 percent of their value. (cite eh ency) The approach that Hoover took after the plummet in the stock market was a very “hands off, leave it alone” one. Because of Hoover’s ideals, he strongly believed that America would pull itself out of the depressed economy on its own, and in that way refused to let the government aid in the people who were taking direct blows from the economy being at an all time low. Hoover opposed administering welfare to suffering Americans. He stated that giving handouts to homeless and hungry Americans who had lost everything would weaken their “individual fiber” because they were earning without doing work for what they would be acquiring via government help. Hoover advocated that private companies and organizations ought to be the only relief and there should be no government interference. Hoover also advocated that since America should be focused on the

FDR won in the presidential election with 23 million votes compared to the 16 million that the previous president, Hoover, had. At the time that FDR took office he already had been a senator, an assistant secretary of navy, a governor, and stricken with the disease, Polio. In 1933, the jobless rate in America was over 25 percent and many people were relying on private soup kitchens and welfare for food and support. The welfare places were scarce with supplies and fights broke out in hopes of getting the last of the supplies. Exports in America were at the lowest level they had been since 1904. In only these four years, the suicide rate in America had tripled. In FDR’s inaugural address he reassured the country, “This country asks for action and action now.” FDR made his points clear as he explained what was happening as a result of Hoover’s presidency and what he was going to change. Since Americans were left nearly “leaderless” during the previous four years, FDR was very clear about his approach to fix America (Doc E). During Roosevelt’s next one hundred days he proclaimed a “100 Days of Action” in which he built the foundation of what would eventually become The New Deal. The three main topics of the New Deal were “Relief, Recovery, and Reform”. FDR wanted to provide relief so that he could provide jobs for the unemployed as well as protect the