Hoover vs FDR

The Great Depression caused hardship for almost everyone in America. Franklin Roosevelt and Herbert Hoover were two presidents during this era with two very different approaches on how to deal with It. Roosevelt Is generally thought of as a liberal, while Hoover Is considered a conservative. A liberal Is generally someone who pushes for direct government involvement In citizens’ lives, while a conservative typically pushes for limited government.

Roosevelt did indeed have a more liberal approach, putting mammoth sums of money into relief programs directly for the people; Hoover was conservative in his approach?he claimed it was the Job of churches and private charities to provide relief, however became less conservative towards the end of his term. Hoover was especially conservative for the beginning of his term. He showed limited government involvement through very limited spending. In 1929, the first year of Hover’s term, the government expenditures were only $3. 27 billion, barely rising 1933, however, spending Increased to $4. 659 billion and $4,598 billion, respectively Doc F), showing that his conservatism decreased a bit. The deficit still remained extremely low, showing Hover’s unwillingness to be too Involved In recovering the economy, but rather allowing the private factor to grow. Hoover also worked on limiting government by literally limiting government?by not increasing control or spreading bureaucracy. He said that Liberalism, “should not be found striving to spread bureaucracy but striving to set bounds to it” (Doc A).

He showed his conservative values by criticizing a large government. He also left the charity work to private charities and churches, saying that “economic depression cannot be curbed by legislative action or executive pronouncement (Doc 8). Later in his term Hoover became slightly more liberal in his approaches to ending the Great Depression. The federal expenditure Increased from $3. 127 billion In 1929 to $4. 659 billion In 1932 (Doc F). He started helping the people more directly by creating huge government sponsored projects which created Jobs. These Include the Hoover Dam.

Hoover also hectically increased the size of government, passing more legislation and creating more bureaucracy. Under him later in his term, farmers were lent money to buy and sell agricultural goods and were helped through cooperatives. Such spending and loaning is very liberal. Hoover wanted to “rehabilitate agriculture” through “large appropriations for loans” (Doc D). Document C depicts Hoover as no longer caring about being seen as conservative, rather saving the poor by spending government money. Roosevelt, unlike Hoover, was a liberal president from the beginning to the ND of his term.

He stated himself that “Liberalism becomes the protection for the far-sighted conservative” (Doc G). This not only promotes liberalism, but attacks conservatism. Franklin Roosevelt liberalism Is most clearly seen through the federal spending under him. During his term, annual government expenditures rose from government spending more to end the depression. Roosevelt also, as Hoover did legislation and increasing bureaucracy. The legislation included the Works Progress Administration. The WAP cost $1 1. 4 billion and employed a huge portion of the workforce.

He also passed the Agricultural Adjustment Act to stabilize the farm industry by decreasing the surplus created by farms. FDA can be characterized as liberal due to his extensive spending, loans, and government intervention. While FDA is most commonly known as a liberal and Herbert Hoover is most commonly known as a conservative, Hoover became more liberal in his approach to ending the Great Depression toward the end of his term. Although Hoover played a part in ending the Great Depression, it really took Fad’s extreme liberalism to completely recover America’s economy.