During the Great Depression, the U.S. was facing a plethora of problems. The economy collapsed and a huge portion of the money was among a very small number of very wealthy individuals. Common people and workers resorted to living in villages called Hoovervilles where the houses were made up of whatever could be salvaged. Before the Great Depression began people took out loans carelessly without money to back it up; people were paid too little and goods cost too much. The result of a larger amount of goods were produced than sold eventually lead to an economic downfall. America was facing a deluge of economic issues. Both Herbert Hoover and Franklin Delano Roosevelt had different methods of trying to solve the problem. However, people reacted …show more content…
However, he had very different opinions on how the economic state of America should be helped. United States History & Government: Constitutional & Geopolitical Patterns, 2001 had stated about Hoover, “... Republicans followed a trickle-down theory… if government legislation protected the wealth of big corporations and the well-to-do, their continued investments would expand the economy and a better life would ‘trickle down’ to workers and consumers in general” (Document 5). President Hoover believed that the government's involvement in forcing fixed prices, controlling businesses, or manipulating the value of the currency, all of which would eventually led towards …show more content…
Both Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Herbert Hoover had their ideas about how the economy should proceed. Although when it came to efficiency Roosevelt was the one who saved America. United States History & Government: Constitutional & Geopolitical Patterns, 2001 states “FDR and his advisors… felt that government would use pump-priming that government should take actions that would make the consuming public secure and optimistic…” (Document 5). Roosevelt wanted to get involved with the community of people and seem “down to earth.” He also wanted the people to stay calm instead of panicking about what would happen next. Once the people felt safe and were confident that Roosevelt may help them he would take action. Roosevelt would get people involved with public works as well as paying them for it. He alongside the government would get involved and put effort into helping the people. On the other hand, Herbert Hoover was a republican which meant that he preferred to leave the problems to fix themselves, and believed in individualism. United States History & Government: Constitutional & Geopolitical Patterns, 2001 had stated about Hoover, “... Republicans followed a trickle-down theory… if government legislation protected the wealth of big corporations and the well-to-do, their continued investments would expand the economy and a better life would ‘trickle down’ to workers and
The Great depression sent it affects all through the world. Though millions of Americans lost their jobs and homes. Soon “Hoovervilles” started to take over all over the country which were shacks of improvised housing for people who lost everything. When F.D.R came into office in 1932 he helped Americans and America start to recover with the passing of many laws and regulations . One change was the creating of the FDIC, which insured the peoples savings stayed in the bank.
But these policies were useless, so FDR took Hoover’s place, also he made New Deal for The Great Depression. FDR became one of the most popular President in American.
His approach to the situation was received with much dissatisfaction among the population who instead voted in Franklin D. Roosevelt. Roosevelt promised a different approach through the New Deal. He implemented direct funding for most of the projects, and believed in deficit funding instead of volunteerism,which is what Hoover believed in. overall, Roosevelt and Hoover differed in their financial philosophies, and especially with jump-starting the American economy during the Great
Jaiah Jackson U.S. History 2 Mr.Grillo May 31, 2023 The Great Depression marked a significant turning point of the United States, and the leadership of Herbert Hoover and Franklin Delano Roosevelt played a crucial role in shaping the nation's response to the crisis. While Hoover and Roosevelt shared a common goal of restoring the country’s economic prosperity, their approaches differed significantly. This essay will compare and contrast the backgrounds, policies, and leadership styles of these two presidents, to better understand their impact on American History.
Comparing the Presidents of the 1930s Two president going neck to neck trying to end the Great Depression, only the best would come up with the solution. Herbert Hoover and Franklin Delanor Roosevelt were the two presidents during the 1930s. The two presidents and their lifestyles seem to be the exact opposites to many. Both men were presidents during one of the most difficult times in American History, the Great Depression. Both doing everything that they thought was necessary during the time, one being a lot more successful than the other.
President Herbert Hoover was a republican. The republican policies did nothing to stabilize, let alone fix the Great Depression. They refused to expand the currency to promote growth because they favored a strong dollar, so they cut spending and money supply (Oakes 720). The philosophy that Hoover brought to the white house was that of mostly hands off when it comes to businesses (Oakes 723).
Unfortunately Hoover’s acknowledgment of the problem was not enough for Roosevelt and Hoover to find common ground. Roosevelt clearly disagreed with Hoover’s methods of depending on charity to pull America out of the Great Depression. He verbalised this in his speech, “We refused to leave the problems of our common welfare to be solved by the winds of change and the hurricanes of disaster. ”(Hanes and hanes 9) To reiterate, Roosevelt was saying that he refused to leave the responsibility of the suffering American people up to charities. The government is responsible for its citizens.
Hoover didn 't want to give handouts out, fearing that it would weaken or destroy the national fiber that Americans had, rugged individualism. Eventually, when things got even worse, he compromised and began to assist the railroads and banks, hoping that relief on the big industries would help those under them. In response to this, the people of the nation began to accuse him of helping big businesses instead of individuals who had it much worse off. They accused him of not being able to feed the people of his nation, while in the past, he had sent massive amounts of food overseas to the Belgians. President Herbert Hoover 's policies that anticipated Franklin Roosevelt 's New Deal included help from the federal level for businesses and
He had wanted to keep money in people's pockets and try to keep people working. He had tried to persuade business leaders to not cut wagers or lay off workers (Biography.com Editors, 5). Hoover had considered a limited role for government and worried that excessive federal intervention posed a threat to capitalism. He vetoed several bills that would have provided direct relief to struggling Americans (History.com Staff, 8). Most of Hoover's idea’s hadn’t helped the Great Depression, in some people's options he had just made it much worse (Biography.com Editors, 5).
The wealth during the 1920s left Americans unprepared for the economic depression they would face in the 1930s. The Great Depression occurred because of overproduction by farmers and factories, consumption of goods decreased, uneven distribution of wealth, and overexpansion of credit. Hoover was president when the depression first began, and he maintained the government’s laissez-faire attitude in the economy. However, after the election of FDR in 1932, his many alphabet soup programs in his first one hundred days in office addressed the nation’s need for change.
Hoover is often blamed for not doing anything to end the Great Depression, but he actually did try to use the government to create infrastructure projects, thus creating jobs. Like the Hoover Dam and the Reconstruction Finance Corporation to try to end the Depression. There are two major differences between their approaches. One is that President Roosevelt was willing to do more than President Hoover to combat the Great Depression. Roosevelt was willing to let the government become more involved in the economy.
He wanted people to recover their lost confidence through individualism. He didn’t provide any direct relief. Hoover relied on businesses to sustain employment and investment. Later he realized that there hadn’t been any improvement in the economy and signed bills that provided employment through public works projects. Roosevelt on the other hand, called for individual liberty through an involved government.
The transition between presidents Herbert Hoover and Franklin Roosevelt marked the transformation from a weak, to a strong form of government, which became directly involved in the lives of the people. This was primarily caused by the difference in the executive leaders ideologies, where Hoover was more focused on individual responsibility and capitalism, Roosevelt was more concerned with immediate action based on government intervention. Overall, the New Deal sacrificed the amount of personal responsibility that the people had with their own economic security. The power of the federal government was strengthened, but the long-lasting effects based on the social and economic policies was beneficial for the United States. Herbert Hoover began
Roosevelt was the president after Hoover, he served from 1933 to 1945. He thought it was best to have the government take care of the people in this crisis with social programs. “ Instinctively we recognized a deeper need-the need to find through government the instrument of our united purpose.” Hoover's idea did not work he thought more people would try to help out however they did not.
The records and information in the source related to the critiques and point of view of Herbert Hoover on Roosevelt’s new Deal plan could be considered trustworthy because it matches with other historical accounts and information found in articles, journals, and other sources written by trustworthy scholars on the promises of the New Deal to offer recovery of the economy, reform of the financial system, and a relief for the poor and unemployed. The information in the primary source also matches with the data of historical accounts related to Hoover’s denouncements and opposition to the New Deal. Herbert Hoover’s speech was based on his interpretation of the New Deal and this is a personal historical