Importance of Herbert HooverDuring the 1920's, Herbert Hoover had a great impact on the government's policies. Many Americans found him resourceful, and an extremely good manager. During World War One, Hoover organized the war effort and efficiently gave troops supplies and good transportation home. After the war, he created a commission for relief of the war torn nations. By 1920, Hoover was considered to be a presidential candidate, although he did not pursue the presidency with great force. When Harding was elected in 1920, Hoover was appointed as the Secretary of Commerce. He served in this position under both Harding and Coolidge. This is where Hoover was known for his laissez-faire polices that characterizes the twenties so much. He did support government regulation of the commercial aviation and radio-broadcasting. In spite of this, he thought that regulations should be voluntary for most other fields of business. However, as important as was in American life during the first eight years of the twenties, his presidency marked his most important achievements and failures.
Hoover the PresidentIn 1928, Hoover was nominated for President, as he was the logical choice. He was extremely similar to both Coolidge and Harding in his business policies (in reality it was Hoover that had a great deal to do with both these administrations business actions). He won over Al Smith, who lost largely due the fact that he was Catholic. Soon after his elation, the stock market crashed, causing great domestic turmoil. Hoover's response was only moderate, as he encouraged businesses not to cut wages, but failed to force them to do so. As unemployment rose, Hoover began some small relief programs that included public works projects, but no program grew to the size that was needed to combat the depression. Having failed to turn the economy around, he lost the 1932 election to F.D. Roosevelt.Cited Works
Microsoft Encarta Hoover, Herbert Clark. |
