Evaluation of the New Deal

2437 Words5 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Difference between hoover and roosevelt during the great depression essay

Evaluation of the New Deal 1. There are three main reasons why Roosevelt was supported in the 1932 election. The first was Herbert Hoover's unpopularity, people saw him as a "do nothing" president and they did not think that he was trying to "restore America". The truth was Hoover did try to restart the economy in 1930 and 1931 -after the Wall Street crash- by tax cuts, trying to persuade business leaders not to cut wages and introducing tariffs but most observers regarded it as tinkering and thought that they had trusted him and that he had let them down. People were sore about the loss of their money. Farmers had a slogan of "In Hoover we trusted and now we are busted." Even more damaging to his reputation was how little he tried to help people who were suffering because of the depression- unemployment, homelessness, hunger - he didn't do what Roosevelt says in one of his speeches from his campaign and " wage war against destruction, delay, deceit and despair." Instead he told his people that "prosperity was around the corner" and basically did very little about the growing numbers of "Hoovervilles". He believed that Social Security was not the responsibility of the Government and that Charities would help individuals. He believed in "rugged individuals" but due to a collapsed economy there was little work available for people to get back on their feet. Hoover done very little and said that they could "smile away the depression". He said that that there would be a "chicken pot on every table" and a "car in every garage". This was ironic as people were queuing for food such as bread to survive on and many lost all their homes a... ... middle of paper ... ...rom another depression- if there hadn't been weapons to be made to sell to Europe and then use themselves when America entered the war, there would have been few jobs for ordinary people and hardly any production either. It was better under Roosevelt that Hoover as Roosevelt took action, he sorted out the "Hoovervilles" and banks but he didn't sort out employment permanently which could have been more damaging in a way and its only thanks to the second world war that there wasn't homeless and hungry people again. I know that Roosevelt did do some good things such as restoring confidence but I have to say that based on what I have explained above, how Roosevelt just glossed the unemployment thing over and how the Second World War was America's saviour, that interpretation 2 is better supported thank interpretation 1 is.

Show More
Related

  • Roosevelt Vs Hoover Essay

    741 Words  | 2 Pages

    Historians claim that Hoovers term during the depression was filled with false promises and accuse the president of doing nothing while the depression worsened. Along with worsening the debt and a fairly aggressive use of government it is clear his approach towards the situation was not the best. FDR’s approach would prove during his administration to suffice in the augmentation of the crisis. Although it seemed like a completely opposite presidency, many ideas came from his predecessor. Roosevelt’s team of advisors understood that much of what they produced and fashioned into the New Deal owed its origins to Hoover’s policies.

    Read More

  • Why People Voted for Roosevelt in 1932

    539 Words  | 2 Pages

    The unpopularity of Hoover was shown in many different ways such as in source b where Roosevelt's biographer Alan Hatch write " Hoover showed little patience with those out of work" this is referring to the attitude of Hoover which were the republican belief of "rugged individualism" Hoovers attempts to deal with the depression were not much better he set up places where the homeless could eat and he gave them soup which was named the Hoover soup he also set up

    Read More

  • Herbert Hoover, One of the Worst Presidents in American History

    892 Words  | 2 Pages

    Because of the plague known as the Great Depression, Herbert Hoover is often seen as one of the worst presidents in American history. He enacted policies such as the Hawley-Smoot Tariff that flushed America deeper into the depression. Hoover didn't understand that to solve a crisis such as a depression, he needed to interact directly with the people by using programs such as social security and welfare. Instead, Hoover had the idea that if he were to let the depression run its course, it would eventually end. There are three things that can be used to define Hoover's presidency during the depression, his actions, his mentality toward fixing things, and the fact that he helped pave the way for the “New Deal”

    Read More

  • Review of "SInce Yesterday"

    784 Words  | 2 Pages

    Hoover is also vilified repeatedly for his inaction with the Depression. His personal policy and his party’s policy were designed to let the country find its own way, for if it became dependent on government aide, it would be a weaker nation that if it found it’s own way. This was a flawed assumption on their behalf though, because even in the 1920’s, there was a movement from many of the nation’s younger voters advocating change.

    Read More

  • Down And Out In The Great Depression

    1337 Words  | 3 Pages

    At the start of the Depression, many letters (mostly discouraging) were sent to President Hoover. These letters came primarily from well-to-do citizens, however some leftist workers’ letters found their way in as well. The well-to-do citizens agreed that the ultimate cause of the lower classes’ depression was their laziness and incompetence. On top of that, these well-to-do citizens thanked Hoover, probably because their money had gone unscathed (McElvaine, 38). Some opinions weren’t as favorable for the Hoover administration, however. Some people believed that “engineers may be intelligent but poor presidents” (pp. 43). Finally, the leftist parties did not appreciate the endeavors of the Hoover presiden...

    Read More

  • Discussion of the Success of the New Deal

    1873 Words  | 4 Pages

    Source C slates Roosevelt heavily, but puts Congress to blame for giving Roosevelt too much power and money, saying, "The only result will be dictatorial government". The source mentions the increase in taxes, the national debt, inflation and unemployment since the Democrats came to power. It ends by stating that the war saved Roosevelt: "By leading his country into war he was able to put every man and woman into work". Disagreement over the Deal is due to its mixed effects on the USA, some saying it saved America and restored confidence, and some arguing that it was very wasteful and damaging to America. My view is that it's true the New Deal did much for America's people, but the War really rescued the country from depression.

    Read More

  • Assessing the Success of Roosevelt's New Deal

    701 Words  | 2 Pages

    In November 1932, F.D. Roosevelt won the Presidential election against Herbert Hoover. Roosevelt’s victory was a landslide win with 22,810,000 votes compared to Hoover’s 15,759,000 votes. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected at the darkest hour of the Great Depression, promising a new deal for the American people.

    Read More

  • Roosevelt and Hoover DBQ

    1437 Words  | 3 Pages

    It was this that created Hoover’s conservative image. Moreover, Hoover's opinions changed from being against any government interference in the economy to being in support of the government encouraging employment by creating more jobs. Hoover differed from most presidents represented in Schlesinger's theory because touched upon private interest, transition, and public purpose, all within the one term of his presidency. Roosevelt was falsely credited with ending the Great Depression as a result of the success of his many programs instituted with the purpose of fighting against unemployment.

    Read More

  • Assessment of the Success of the New Deal

    1112 Words  | 3 Pages

    Assessment of the Success of the New Deal FDR introduced the New Deal to help the people most affected by the depression of October 1929. The Wall Street Crash of October 24th 1929 in America signalled the start of the depression in which America would fall into serious economic depression. The depression started because some people lost confidence in the fact that their share prices would continue to rise forever, they sold their shares which started a mass panic in which many shares were sold. The rate at which people were selling their shares was so quick that the teleprinters could not keep up, therefore share prices continued to fall making them worthless. Also causing many people to lose their jobs as the owners of factories could not afford to pay the workers wages.

    Read More

  • The New Deal Dbq

    766 Words  | 2 Pages

    The New Deal was a set of acts that effectively gave Americans a new sense of hope after the Great Depression. The New Deal advocated for women’s rights, worked towards ending discrimination in the workplace, offered various jobs to African Americans, and employed millions through new relief programs. Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR), made it his duty to ensure that something was being done. This helped restore the public's confidence and showed that relief was possible. The New Deal helped serve American’s interest, specifically helping women, african american, and the unemployed and proved to them that something was being done to help them.

    Read More

  • The Great Depression and the New Deal

    986 Words  | 2 Pages

    In response to the Stock Market Crash of 1929 and the Great Depression, Franklin D. Roosevelt was ready for action unlike the previous President, Hubert Hoover. Hoover allowed the country to fall into a complete state of depression with his small concern of the major economic problems occurring. FDR began to show major and immediate improvements, with his outstanding actions during the First Hundred Days. He declared the bank holiday as well as setting up the New Deal policy. Hoover on the other hand; allowed the U.S. to slide right into the depression, giving Americans the power to blame him. Although he tried his best to improve the economy’s status during the depression and ‘pump the well’ for the economy, he eventually accepted that the Great Depression was inevitable.

    Read More

  • Roosevelt a Liberal and Hoover a Conservative

    1066 Words  | 3 Pages

    Roosevelt immediately gained the public's favor with his liberal ideas. In the first 100 days, Roosevelt stabilized banks with the Federal Bank Holiday. In the New Deal he fought poverty with the TVA, NRA, AAA, CCC, PWA, and CWA. These policies were definitely liberal in the 1930's and because of the new programs, Roosevelt received false credit for ending the Depression. Ironically Roosevelt succeeded only a little more than Hoover in ending the Depression. Despite tripling expenditures during Roosevelt's administration, (Document F) the American economy did not recover from the Depression until World War II.

    Read More

  • The Pros and Cons of Roosevelt's New Deal

    1214 Words  | 3 Pages

    The era of the Great Depression was by far the worst shape the United States had ever been in, both economically and physically. Franklin Roosevelt was elected in 1932 and began to bring relief with his New Deal. In his first 100 days as President, sixteen pieces of legislation were passed by Congress, the most to be passed in a short amount of time. Roosevelt was re-elected twice, and quickly gained the trust of the American people. Many of the New Deal policies helped the United States economy greatly, but some did not. One particularly contradictory act was the Agricultural Adjustment Act, which was later declared unconstitutional by Congress. Many things also stayed very consistent in the New Deal. For example, the Civilian Conservation Corps, and Social Security, since Americans were looking for any help they could get, these acts weren't seen as a detrimental at first. Overall, Roosevelt's New Deal was a success, but it also hit its stumbling points.

    Read More

  • Great Depression Compare And Contrast Essay

    1412 Words  | 3 Pages

    But for the majority of the country during one of our toughest times, he was what we needed. Without consulting history, it’s impossible to judge what he did very negatively. The old ways weren’t working, and while President Hoover tried to do something, it wasn’t enough. President Roosevelt was more successful with the actions he took for relief during the Great Depression. References: EyeWitness History editors.

    Read More

  • The New Deal

    1629 Words  | 4 Pages

    It is worth examining how the New Deal period represented a significant departure from US government and politics up to then. From the start of Roosevelt's period in office in 1932, there was a widespread sense that things were going to change. In Washington there was excitement in the air, as the first Hundred Days brought a torrent of new initiatives from the White House. The contrast with Herbert Hoover's term could not have been more striking. By 1934, E.K. Lindley had already written about The Roosevelt Revolution: First Phase. Hoover, meanwhile, denounced what he saw as an attempt to "undermine and destroy the American system" and "crack the timbers of the constitution." In retrospect, it was only a "half-way revolution", as W. Leuchtenburg has written. Radicals have been left with a sense of disappointment at the "might have beens", in P. Conkin's words.

    Read More

More about Evaluation of the New Deal

Open Document