1. Election of 1932
Hoover v. FDR

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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