Compare And Contrast Hoover And Fdr

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The Great Depression was a time of strife and hardship for the American people and as expected, a remedy was called for. Hoover and Roosevelt were the two presidents at the time of this crisis and their philosophies for improvement, while sharing some similarities, had two very different stances. Hoover’s belief was held in the people and he thought that with the right motivation the country’s problems would be solved through one another. Roosevelt however thought that help laid within the federal government. He believed that America had a strong government exactly for the purpose of helping the people. Hoover, once set in his opinion of self-government did not sway away from it and made sure his actions supported his presented thoughts. …show more content…

Roosevelt strongly believed that crisis’ such as these were exactly why America set up such a strong government. When it came to the task of protecting and benefiting the well-being of American citizens, in Roosevelt's mind, support could not be left to the chance of other people's charity and kindness. The federal government's power and organization he viewed as the only force truly capable of accomplishing change. This proved to be true during Roosevelt's four terms of presidency. Roosevelt's work through the federal government established organizations and groups that benefited the majority of people whose lives had previously been ruined. Roosevelt had the fortune and insight to serve in office after Hoover and learn from his mistakes; “Repeated attempts at their solution without the aid of government has left us baffled and bewildered”(Hanes and Hanes 58), Roosevelt had seen Hoovers methods proved futile and was determined to not let the same misfortune fall on him. He took off in the opposite direction of Hoover and changed a lot for the better. Hoover’s ideal of people helping one another lacked control and relied on generosity and charity, “We knew that we must find practical controls over blind economic forces and blindly selfish men”(Hanes and Hanes 58), Roosevelt knew that wasn't the reality of America, and that men were selfish and local government too weak, no matter how anyone wished it to