The New Deal Vs. Hoover And The Great Depression

The Stock Market Crash of 1929 on Wall Street led to the devastating Great Depression soon after revealing the flaws within American economy. President Herbert Hoover reacted by primarily depending on voluntary actions. The people reacted to his wage policies pretty negatively because they were ineffective. This affected the presidential election of 1932 because Hoover quickly became unpopular and was running out of ideas. Herbert Hoover challenged the economic depression more than any other president, however he thought that instead of involving the feral government, voluntary actions would relieve the situation. Because the government had always been relatively laissez-faire up until this point, Hoover decided to continue with that idea in mind. …show more content…
In the Bonus Army incident, Hoover showed a lot of carelessness towards the veterans, which confirmed his public image as “harsh and insensitive” (724). Loyal Republicans did renominate Hoover for a second term, however there was a new nominee on the ballot this time. Democrats confidently chose governor of New York, Franklin D. Roosevelt. The Democratic nominee entered the presidential race with a new idea of how to overcome the depression effectively. In his campaign, Roosevelt promised “a new deal for the American People”, speaking in broad terms (724). He stated that his first move as president would be to relieve unemployment and conserve social welfare programs. As unpopular as Hoover was, Roosevelt easily beat him in the popularity contest with his outgoing personality. But before Roosevelt could take it away, Hoover remained in his presidency for four more months, which were the most miserable of the depression. Soon, President Roosevelt’s launch of the New Deal called for immediate action to save the American