Top-Rated Free Essay
Preview

Differences between Herbert Hoover and Franklin D. Roosevelt

Good Essays
1120 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Differences between Herbert Hoover and Franklin D. Roosevelt
In reflection there are many differences between the United States' 31st president Herbert C. Hoover and it's 32nd president Franklin D. Roosevelt, so much so that their administrations and thoughts on how to run the country existed on two completely different paradigms in relation to their views on the governments role in society. To begin with, the Grand old man and the New dealer start out with a difference in the very foundation of their political standpoints. Herbert Hoover was affiliated with the Republican Party while Franklin D. Roosevelt was a member of the democrat party and their administrations are but a reflection of their affiliations. Herbert Hoover was appointed to office on March 4th of 1933 and Franklin Roosevelt was appointed April 12th of 1945. Hoover ended up serving four years in office as he lost his reelection to Roosevelt himself who later came to serve a total of three terms in office resulting in twelve years of presidency before his death in office. In the administrations of Hoover and Roosevelt it is clear that Roosevelt was more for government involvement than was Hoover however, Hoover had served as the secretary of commerce under the administrations of president Harding and president Coolidge and even in those administrations he believed that the government did not have to be passive and he backed the concept of "associationalism" that envisioned the creation of national organizations of businessmen in particular industries. This was meant to stabilize industries and promote efficiency in production and marketing but he never truly had an opportunity to implement his plans because less than a year after his inauguration the United States plunged into the Great Depression, sidelining previous ambitions and goals. In new light of his presidency Herbert Hoover implements government economic recovery that granted limited success such as the Smoot-Hawley tariff which hurt his administration and the economy rather than help it. And much of his doctrine for governing the American people was to have the least amount of direct government involvement in the people's everyday lives. On the other hand Roosevelt was elected into the Great Depression and in his first 100 days in office he implemented a flurry of economic legislation that was part of his "New Deal" domestic program in attempt to alleviate (immediately yet not completely) the crisis looming over the United States. During his presidency Roosevelt implemented many acts that dealt with the Economy/Jobs, Financing/Banking, Defense/Foreign Affairs, Social issues, Housing and even Environment and even got the nation's unemployment rate down from 25% to 2%( The Agricultural Adjustment Acts, Emergency Relief Appropriation Act, Fair Labor Standards Act, Farm Credit Act, Federal Emergency Relief Act (FERA), Gold Reserve Act, National Industry Recovery Act (NIRA), National Labor Relations Act,
Tennessee Valley Act, The Federal Farm Bankruptcy Act, Glass-Steagall Act, Corporate Bankruptcy Act, Emergency Banking Act, Federal Securities Act, Securities Exchange Act, Veterans Administration Act, Lend-Lease Act, Neutrality Acts, Selective Training and Service Act, Revenue Act of 1932, Revenue Act of 1941, Social Security Act, Farm Mortgage Refinancing Act, Home Owners Loan Act, National Housing Act, and the Reforestation Relief Act). Roosevelt's new economic programs brought jobs to hundreds of thousands of men during the Great Depression through rural and agricultural projects that allowed them to once again get a paycheck, which also alleviated the congestion of large urban areas, a feat which overshadows president Hoover's rural projects such as the Hoover dam. Roosevelt may have implemented many acts such as the Conservation Corps (CCC), Works Progress Administration (WPA) and Tennessee Valley Authority but it wasn't just his economic reform that allowed for alleviation of the crisis, it was also his cheerful personality. Franklin D. Roosevelt used his optimism to bring trust and public confidence to his administration. And some of the ways he did this was through the "Fireside Chats" which were radio chats which he would use to communicate his programs and plans with the people. Roosevelt's personality was even shown in his inaugural address where he stated "we have nothing to fear but fear itself" and it was often unknown that he was paralyzed in both of his legs. Herbert Hoover in contrast was not as outspoken and forth going and he lost the trust of the American people. More radical programs of relief were presented to him but he insisted that his policies were working. Hoover's popularity began to decline due to his perceived political failures and many Americans thought him personally responsible for the conditions that they were in which led them to begin calling the shantytowns (housing for the unemployed) that they lived in on the outskirts of town, "Hoovervilles" But not only are Hoover and Roosevelt different in their domestic services but they were also different in their foreign affairs as Hoover didn't have much direct involvement in foreign affairs but he did pass the Hoover-Stimson doctrine which refused to recognize Japan's conquer of Manchuria and even mediated on behalf of Peru and chile to settle a land dispute as well as sending ships to shanghai in order to protect U.S citizens. Hoover simply did not have the same pressing issues in foreign affairs as Roosevelt did because WWII occupied a lot of the time that Roosevelt was in office.
Initially Roosevelt attempted to keep America out of the war and simply implemented ways to aid in the war effort while still on the home front such as the cash and carry act where munitions had to be bought and picked up from the United States instead of being shipped to the buyer and this improved the economy as European demand for war goods increased. And even though Roosevelt attempted to keep America out of the war, entry was inevitable after the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor that Americans themselves wanted revenge for. This led to more foreign intervention and direct involvement that president Hoover didn't have to endure as president although he did assist in the war effort under president Wilson by supplying the troops with food as well as organizing a large return of Americans from Europe. In conclusion, President Herbert C. Hoover and Franklin D. Roosevelt are two president who lived on different sides of the political spectrum. President Hoover was a hands off type of president and was not big on large reform and radical change but rather little government involvement in the affairs of the American people whereas president Roosevelt had more of a direct approach. President Roosevelt believed that the government should have direct involvement in the affairs of the people and it was evident in his administration due to all of the economic legislation that was passed during his terms. In the end they were both presidents who stuck to their respective presidential strategies.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Before the onset of the Great Depression, Herbert Hoover was elected president of the United States in 1928. Hoover was a popular administrative hero of World War 1, as he guaranteed more prosperity and further advantages for large companies even after the crash of the stock market. After the stock market crashed Hoover decided to increase spending for public works programs, in order to give people jobs for those who really needed it. Later, Hoover wanted to restore confidence in the economy by raising taxes and culture spending, but considering the depth of the Great Depression, his efforts had only made thing worse.…

    • 578 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    In the early years of this great nation we find to amazing men that wanted to preside over the United States in ways no others had attempted to do as of yet. They both had great ideas and in some ways were similar and yet others miles apart. They believed their way was gospel and this country would perish under the other so to speak. President Roosevelt was out to be our great Nationalist with a campaign based on a human welfare goal. However, Woodrow Wilson was out to be the first great Freedomist with a campaign based more on a property welfare goal. There are pros and cons from both sides when you think about it but the question is which is best for the United States and its future. It was a time for Progressivism here in the good old USA…

    • 1134 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Theodore Roosevelt became president after President William McKinley was shot twice on September 14, 1901. He was the first of three presidents heavily referred to as the progressive presidents. The next president was President William H. Taft, who spent 4 years in office directly after Roosevelt and had many great achievements during his presidency. Lastly, President Woodrow Wilson elected in 1912 over Roosevelt and Taft. These three presidents heavily changed American government in the early 20th century.…

    • 1100 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    President Roosevelt brought the right approach by acting, creating programs and providing to the needy and homeless. If nothing is being done how could the economy fix itself? Even though Hoover's idea of stimulation the economy was to not stimulate it at all and just let America get out of the depression and work its way out of the dark by itself. President Roosevelt brought the right approach by acting, creating programs providing to the needy and homeless. Roosevelt was caring for all of America's basic needs, Roosevelt was finding jobs getting people back into the workforce stimulating the economy.…

    • 464 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The presidents of the roaring twenties were Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge, and Herbert Hoover. All of the presidents during the 1920s were republicans. They also pro-business and they felt no need to regulate businesses in American. They wanted to keep taxes down and business profits up. They helped the American manufactures by imposing a high tariff on imported goods. The economy was rolling strong during the twenties which made it easy for these presidents. They all rode the American boom into the ground. This is way the Great Depression follows the roaring twenties. Most of the historians claim that the presidents of the twenties were just mediocre. This would be a tough opinion to argue considering what is in store down the future…

    • 503 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    During this period, progressivism was gradually rising from the local and state level to the national level. Increasing numbers of people across the nation supported expanding the role of the federal government to ensure the welfare of the people. Roosevelt felt that Taft was defying everything that they were for in government and decided to run agains't him. Roosevelt created the "Bull Moose" party. Although Roosevelt and Wilson were both progressives, they differed over the means and extent to which government should intervene or regulate the states and the economy. Differences between New Nationalism and New Freedom over trusts and the tariff became a central issue of the campaign. Roosevelt believed the federal government should act as a "trustee" for the American people, controlling and supervising the economy in the public interest. Wilson had greater reservations about a large federal government and sought a return to a more decentralized republic. Roosevelt and Wilson's national reforms made them successful during the progressive era. They were both successful progressive presidents.…

    • 727 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Who knew that one great leader from Dublin, Ireland and another from Hyde Park, New York could share similar ideas, goals, and ways of treatment? Winston Churchill, born on November 30, 1874, was the great leader previously mentioned from Dublin, Ireland. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, born on January 30,1882, was the second from Hyde Park, New York. These two men were leaders during the 1930s and 1940s. I will be comparing and contrasting them. The places they were born was just one difference between them. There are many similarities as well as differences in their political ideologies, their treatment of citizens, and their goals of leadership.…

    • 426 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Facing the worst economic depression of their time after being on a high during the majority of the 1920s, and dealing with a President that remained steadfast in his belief of American individualism, arguing that too much interference from the federal government would hurt want essentially separated Americans from citizens of other nations; this belief of Hoover’s, although he actively tried to help with the Depression a few times even though his responses were late, overall led to a lackluster response to the crises experienced by Americans during the Great Depression. Hoover’s failures to properly recognized the growing economic instability, the stemmed from international and domestic problems, which eventually caused the Depression eventually…

    • 180 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    William Taft and Franklin D. Roosevelt were total opposites when it came to their personality and humanity. William Taft expanded the limits of his Precedential power to keep African Americans and immigrants in their place. During his inaugural address, Taft said that would not hire anymore African Americans to federal Jobs like a mailman or postmaster position. This would cause a problem for any African American that was already employed at a Federal Facility. Taft wanted to keep the African Americans in their place. Taft fails to follow the humanitarian mission historically associated with the Republican Party. This is what caused African Americans to move toward the Democratic Party.…

    • 510 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    When FDR was elected into office he was left with quite a mess left by Herbert Hoover, but Hoover had left a very nice foundation to start FDR’s famous “New Deal.” Programs during this time focused on trying very hard to help bring the US out of the Great Depression by…

    • 1584 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The delineations of the words "liberal" and "conservative" shifted at the start of the Great Depression. Although laissez-faire policy was thought to be liberal in the Roaring 20 's, the year 1929 quickly changed America 's idea of liberalism entirely. The hardnosed Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the saavy Herbert Hoover both believed they alone could improve America 's economic depression. Their political standings have been wholly analyzed, and although the two men did express ideas which were contradictory to their original political standpoints, one possessed more liberal ideas by wanting to change the government, versus more conservative ideas; wanting to keep the government as it was.…

    • 869 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Hoover’s problems were beyond his control. Many policies weren’t well funded, and Hoover wasn’t comfortable spending the governments money. He believed that everyone should be responsible for creating their own businesses and jobs to make money, but this was impossible with everything shutting down. Hoover tired to solve the problem by encouraging employees not to reduce the wages and to not lay workers off. The government lent money to banks, industries and etc. to make sure none of the companies went into bankrupt and failed. Hoover tried to fix the economy as much as he could, but throughout the process he failed. He believed the government should not go into debt no matter what happened. Hoover did more to the economy than any other president…

    • 139 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Roosevelt's cause much excitement in the people's eyes, not only that, but it had a major affect on the American citizens. In the prompt ("The New Deal") the prompt states "Unlike his predecessor, Herbert Hoover, who felt the public should supporters the government and not the other way around... these bad times." It's shows that the president before Roosevelt didn't wasn't on the people's side, however when Roosevelt stepped in it reassured…

    • 612 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    In the years of 1865 to 1923 he Hoover served as secretary of commerce under president Harding. He continued this position under president Coolidge through the years of 1872 to 1933 (History). Then, he became the Republican nominee for the 1928 election. He promised to continue to bring peace and prosperity to the nation. He won forty states and defeated the Democratic nominee, Alfred E. Smith. In his speech he says he does not have fear for this country and the future is bright…

    • 1003 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hoover vs. Roosevelt

    • 1035 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The great depression began on October 29, 1929 when the stock market completely crashed. The country was in shambles, people lost their jobs, businesses and banks went under, and poverty struck the nation. During the period of the great depression two men had control of the office, the first Herbert Hoover, a republican that believed heavily in people helping themselves and not relying on government, second there was FDR a democrat who believed that the government should be made to help the people, both men had completely different ways of trying to bring the country out of the biggest financial disaster in its history.…

    • 1035 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays