Hardship and Suffering During the Depression

1. What were some of Hoover's key convictions about government?        
Hoover was very conservative with his convictions about government. His main belief was that government should never be directly involved, just help as guidance. He believed the government should help cooperation with business and labor, not directly intervene. He also believed the government should support charities, but not directly help the needy.



2. What did President Herbert Hoover say and do in response to the Great Depression?       
He brought together heads of the largest parts of America’s economy and asked them to do certain things that would help consumer confidence once again. However, none of these measures worked particularly well. He did help authorize the building of the Hoover Dam, which created many jobs and provided a source of water for farmers in the area.



3. Why do you think people blamed Hoover for the nation's difficulties?       
Hoover’s policy on government aid led him to a lot of unpopularity in America. Although he tried to help with the conditions, his methods were no good. His lack of support for directly supporting the needy seemed mean and draconian. Not to mention, in a time like this everyone wanted a scapegoat, and the head of the country is the easiest target.

4. How did Hoover's belief in "rugged individualism" shape his policies during the Great Depression.

Think About:

• what his belief implies about his view of people

• how that translates into the role of government

• Hoover’s policies (How effective were they?)       

Hoover’s belief of “rugged individualism” made him believe that people, especially Americans, are strong enough to survive even in adverse conditions. To him this means the government should not directly help the people who are in trouble, as they can do it themselves. This didn’t mean that the government couldn’t help directly though, as they could support charities that were helping the needy. This indirect help was not as effective as direct help would have been.



5. What did the Bonus Army want and how did Hoover respond?      
The Bonus Army was a group of World War I veterans demanding a bonus since they were not adequately compensated after the war. This bonus was in the form of the Patman Bill. Hoover denied this bill and ordered the marchers to leave promptly. When a couple thousand weren’t left, he sent in 1,000 troops under MacArthur and Eisenhower to disband them forcefully, including using gas.

6. When Franklin Delano Roosevelt heard about the attack on the Bonus Army, why was he so certain that he would defeat Hoover?

Think About:

• the American public’s impression of Hoover (See your answer to No. 3)

• Hoover’s actions to alleviate the Great Depression (see your answer to No. 4)

• how people judged Hoover after the attack.       

Franklin Delano Roosevelt knew he would win because at this point the public opinion regarding Hoover was already very very low. Americans seeing Hoover forcefully attack veterans degraded this image even further. Not to mention, Hoover had created a shantytown for the marchers, helping to add to his image of creating shantytowns, then destroyed it. To most Americans, this was quintessential Hoover, making a sad place then doing the opposite to rectify it.