Herbert Hoover and the Depression - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Herbert Hoover and the DepressionSlide2

Herbert Hoover

Republican

Hoover took office at a time of unparalleled economic prosperity and optimismBUT at the end of his presidency- the US was at the bottom of the deepest economic depression in history Slide3

Hawley Smoot Tariff

Effort to protect American industry form foreign competition

Congress passed the 2nd highest tariff in US HistoryTariff badly hurt the sale of US goods overseas

as foreign nations raised their own tariffs against American-made goods Slide4

Rugged Individualism or Direct Relief?

Americans had long believed in the idea of

“rugged individualism”- that it was up to the individual to take care of himself when hard times came When economy collapsed people began to support idea of

“Direct Relief”-

the gov’t should act to help those who could no longer help themselves Slide5

Dust Bowl

Between 1930 and 1936, a terrible drought, coupled with decades of damage to the topsoil from plowing, led to unimaginable wind erosion and huge dust clouds that covered the Plains.

Thousands of Midwestern farmers lost everything and, bankrupted, were forced to move west to try to find work as migrant labor. Slide6

Dorothea Lange (1895-1965)

Photojournalist

Lange’s photographs humanized the tragic consequences of the Dust Bowl and profoundly influenced the development of documentary photographySlide7

John Steinbeck (1902- 1968)

Author of

The Grapes of Wrath, a Pulitzer Prize winning novel about the tragedies which befell his fictionalized family of Oklahoma farmers during the Dust BowlSteinbeck also wrote

Of Mice and Men

,

a story about the tragic friendship between two poor migrant workers Slide8

Hoover’s Response to the Economic Collapse Slide9

The Public Response

After “Black Tuesday,” Hoover worked hard to assure Americans that the economy would recover quickly

Hoover stepped up propaganda campaign aimed at boosting consumer confidence, believing that if Americans would just start buying stuff again then the economy would bounce back Slide10

The Private Response

Hoover, however, knew that the economy was extremely unstable

He held multiple meetings with major business leaders trying to win pledges from them that they would keep all of their factories open, but to no avail Slide11

The National Credit Corporation

NCC

Hoover tried to ease the nation’s credit crisis by creating the NCCThe NCC controlled a pool of private money that it could lend to banks so that banks could continue to offer loans to the public; the NCC, however, never had enough cash to meet the demand for credit and so was a

FAILURE. Slide12

Reconstruction Finance Corporation

When the NCC failed, Hoover resorted to lending gov’t money to banks

The RFC was created to make direct loans to banks and railroad companiesEven the RFC could not meet the demands for loans, and the economy continued to failSlide13

Emergency Relief and Construction Act

In desperation, Hoover approved $1.5 Billion in spending on public works projects and an additional $300 million to provide “direct relief”—money provided directly to families in need

Still, the efforts of the government were too small to stimulate economic growth Slide14

Consequences of Hoover’s Failed Policies Slide15

Hunger Marches

Crowds of the unemployed and the hungry began to hold large scale demonstrations across the US, demanding gov’t relief Slide16

Farmers Revolt

Desperate farmers began to destroy their own crops and produce in an effort to increase prices; some even resorted to burning their crops for heat in their home

Anger continued to grow as more and more farmers had their land foreclosed Slide17

Breadlines and Soup Kitchens Appear

As unemployment approached 30%, many people began to rely heavily on soup kitchens and breadlines run by churches, charitable organizations, and even some city governments in order to survive

Demand was too high, however, to be met by charity alone Slide18

Hoovervilles

In large cities, as people could no longer afford to pay rent, they were forced into homelessness

Many began to live in homemade shacks that they built in any open space available, usually public parks like NYC Central ParkWhole villages began to appear referred to as “

Hoovervilles

”Slide19

Hobos

Hundreds of thousands of homeless, jobless men began to live nomadic lifestyles, moving from place to place

Often lived in temporary Hoovervilles called Hobo Jungles, near any major railroad junction Slide20

The Bonus Army

In 1924, Congress had promised to pay every American WWI Vet a $1000 service bonus in 1945

In May 1932, over 150,000 WWI vets arrived in DC to lobby Congress to give the bonus earlier- Congress voted against thisAfter the vote, many of the Bonus army stayed in DC living in

Hoovervilles

President Hoover ordered the Bonus Army dispersed

Hoover sent the Army, who used tear gas and bayonets to clear the Bonus Army our and then burned their camp

Re-election campaign damaged Slide21

Election of 1932

Hoover V. FDR

Roosevelt pledged a “New Deal” for the American people Roosevelt wins the election