Compare And Contrast Fdr And Hoover

“Survey finds FDR best president.” “FDR is the greatest president…” “Number one: FDR.” These are all real quotes that are easily found when “FDR” is searched online. The thing those who post these opinions do not know is that Franklin D. Roosevelt’s first term as president was not successful; it was not until his third term that he did good for the nation, and that is only due to World War II. Herbert Hoover, on the other hand, is looked down upon. He is, without doubt, one of the most disliked presidents in United States history. Unfortunately that is not his fault, for most citizens are ignorant and misinformed. Throughout the entirety of both presidents’ first terms, the United States was experiencing the worst depression the nation has

The difference between the two is that Hoover’s were successful. Herbert Hoover was a better president when it comes to the economy because of his effectiveness throughout his presidency. In the book Presidents: Vol 5, Fred L. Israel begins Herbert Hoover’s section with the statement “Herbert Hoover was a man of remarkable achievements” (Israel 97). Hoover created many public works programs (Baker 288) and merely every one of them were successful (Israel 102). Quite possibly the greatest example of Hoover’s good job creating programs is the Hoover dam. It created jobs for over 5,000 men and was such a success that it still powers Las Angeles (Baker 292). While Hoover’s plans to fix the economy during his first term were successful, FDR’s were not. Some of his reforms made small businesses suffer which led to monopolies (Israel 8). The Dust Bowl, a result of the depression, was at its absolute worst during FDR’s presidency, despite his efforts to control it (Baker 286). These are only a couple examples of Roosevelt’s failed programs. He never thought long-term. He would try something. It would fail. He would try something else. This vicious cycle continued. Acting this way led to the “double-dip Roosevelt depression,” when he cut the federal budget (Baker 301). To make matters worse for FDR, even his relief administrator knew his presidency was not a good one. He said “We shall tax and tax, and spend and spend, and elect and elect” (Garraty 63). In addition to his relief administrator, a well renowned psychiatrist described Roosevelt as ruthless man who is hard to figure out (Garraty 134). Despite Roosevelt’s obvious lack of planning, the majority of the population preferred him over Hoover. However, Hoover helped businesses make safe products and keep accurate data (Israel 97). Lastly, Hoover tried to work with FDR to fix the United States’s banking situation, but