Election of 1932 Hoover v. FDR

Hoover Believed that the key to recovery was confidence Depression was a “world-wide economic conditions beyond our control” Government and business officials tried to maintain public confidence

Voluntary action fails Business promised to keep wages up but did not keep the promise After a year of bad times people began to blame the depression on President Hoover

Government actions Agricultural Marketing Act- designed to stabilize prices of crops Program was a failure-lost more than $150 million To create jobs they spent money on building roads, parks, and dams. Hoover Dam

Government actions Hawley-Smoot tariff- Highest import tax, Europeans raised their taxes too, caused a slowdown of trade Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC) - lent money to banks and large industries Banks continued to fail People felt that the government was only helping the rich Hoover’s unpopularity grows

Hoover thinks relief should come from state and local governments People thought he was cold hearted Blamed him for their problems 1932- Finally lent money to state and local governments for unemployment but it was too little to late Bonus Army demanded pension money for 1945 marched in Washington Hoover called in the Army Army used force to make marchers leave Many people were injured

Organized White House conference of business leaders Action Goal Success or Failure/Why? Organized White House conference of business leaders to presuade business leaders voluntarily to maintain workers wages FAIL- businesses cut workers pay Signed the Hawley-Smoot tarriff bill protect domestic industries from imports FAIL- Europe raised their own tariffs bringing slow down in international trade

set up Reconstruction Finance Corporation to help banks so they could extend loans FAIL- people thought government was only helping the banks not people Insisted that state and local governments handle relief programs to protect self-respect & avoid creating a large bureaucracy FAIL- refusal to provide direct aid. Created a negative public reaction

FDR- Franklin Delano Roosevelt Promised people a new deal and that “happy days were here” Democrat Harvard graduate On New York State Senate twice Assistant secretary of Navy under President Wilson Polio in 1920 and never walked again Ready to experiment with government roles Brought optimism to the table Worked with depression relief as a governor of New York

FDR- Franklin Delano Roosevelt Wife Eleanor was niece of Theodore Roosevelt Experienced political worker and social reformer Worked for several causes Public housing legislation State government reform Birth control Better conditions for working women

Election of 1932 “This campaign is more than a contest between two men… it is a contest between two philosophies of government” Hoover 1932 Battle between how much the government should and should not be involved in fixing people’s problems Hoover argued that government would be to powerful

Election of 1932 FDR won with a margin of 7 million votes People didn’t always support FDR because of his ideas, they opposed Hoover for being too passive 1933- FDR took office