Shackling unemployment, nationwide famine, crippling poverty, climbing crime rates and a broken economy ¬– the great depression is perhaps historically the greatest threat to the United States which found itself struggling more than ever in 1932. The 1920s had been a time of great success for America. The country, in a post-war boom known now as the roaring 20s found had a growing economy, rapidly improving standards of living and a strong stock market that promised wealth to anyone that engaged in trading. That all came to an end, though, on October 29 1929, a date known now as Black Tuesday on which the stock market collapsed. Individual Americans lost thousands of dollars in savings and industry was brought to its knees. Factory closings
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Roosevelt promised to do this by investing in jobs and nationwide infrastructure, jumpstarting the economy. Roosevelt, before the term became synonymous with the work programs he pushed for, promised a “New Deal” for Americans, in specific the creation of a social safety net (which led to work programs, unemployment benefits and social security), the stabilization of the economy, and the prioritization of everyday Americans, or the middle class. All aspects of the 1932 election are addressed, assessed and explained in Electing FDR: The New Deal Campaign of 1932 by Donald Ritchie. The book aptly assess the strengths and weaknesses of the candidates, the happenings of the campaign, how it was influenced by the press, and all of its major happenings, all while introducing new and interesting information that most readers would be unfamiliar …show more content…
In specific, I learned much about Herbert Hoover. I choose the book because I like and have great interest in FDR, but became quite interested in Hoover while reading it. I was under the impression that he was very conservative in the sense of Adam Smith, in that he believed that the government should have no role in the economy. In fact, I learned that quite the opposite was the case. I also learned how interesting he was as an individual, how much governmental experience he had, and how much scandal he was plagued by outside of the Great Depression and Prohibition. I had quite a poor view of Hoover before reading Electing FDR but that is no longer the case. He seemed to, despite frequent bad decisions, to always have the best of intentions and truly love his country. Because there is so much negativity attached to Hoover because of the circumstances of his time, I firmly believe that Hoover is often unfairly portrayed in today’s
Roosevelt promised to do this by investing in jobs and nationwide infrastructure, jumpstarting the economy. Roosevelt, before the term became synonymous with the work programs he pushed for, promised a “New Deal” for Americans, in specific the creation of a social safety net (which led to work programs, unemployment benefits and social security), the stabilization of the economy, and the prioritization of everyday Americans, or the middle class. All aspects of the 1932 election are addressed, assessed and explained in Electing FDR: The New Deal Campaign of 1932 by Donald Ritchie. The book aptly assess the strengths and weaknesses of the candidates, the happenings of the campaign, how it was influenced by the press, and all of its major happenings, all while introducing new and interesting information that most readers would be unfamiliar …show more content…
In specific, I learned much about Herbert Hoover. I choose the book because I like and have great interest in FDR, but became quite interested in Hoover while reading it. I was under the impression that he was very conservative in the sense of Adam Smith, in that he believed that the government should have no role in the economy. In fact, I learned that quite the opposite was the case. I also learned how interesting he was as an individual, how much governmental experience he had, and how much scandal he was plagued by outside of the Great Depression and Prohibition. I had quite a poor view of Hoover before reading Electing FDR but that is no longer the case. He seemed to, despite frequent bad decisions, to always have the best of intentions and truly love his country. Because there is so much negativity attached to Hoover because of the circumstances of his time, I firmly believe that Hoover is often unfairly portrayed in today’s