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Herbert Clark Hoover Served 1929—1933 Vice President: Charles Curtis from 1929—1933

Born on August 10, 1874

Died on October 20, 1964

Republican Party

Despite the fact that much of President Hoover’s energy was focused on mitigating the downward spiral after the Stock Market Collapse of 1919, he conducted major progressive reforms in American foreign policy and relations. President Hoover began to formulate and develop the “Good Neighbor” policy with Latin America that later matured during Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s term. Essentially the opposite of Teddy Roosevelt’s “Big Stick” policy, Hoover sought to end American aggression in the region by gradually eliminating military presence and political manipulation. He removed American troops from Nicaragua, ended the military occupation of Haiti, and successfully managed a territorial dispute between Peru, Chile, and Bolivia. Instead of building on American hegemony from previous administrations, he wanted to establish a positive reputation as a friendly nation. This allowed a surge in amicable relations, import duty reductions, alliance, and cooperation between all the nations of the Americas. Additionally, the Stimson Doctrine was issued by the Secretary of State that declared that America would not recognize any territory attained by force further enhanced the country’s image in the eyes of the world. Hoover wanted to re-establish America’s position as the moral voice and the force for good of the world, which would better relations with all nations of the world.
 * // Theme: Globalization //**

President Hoover occupied the Oval Office at an extremely precarious time in American history; during the tumultuous time period between the two World Wars and right at the beginning of the Great Depression. For this reason, the movements he advocated, the reforms he undertook, and the mistakes he committed had more of an impact on the future of the country than for any other president to date. His great advances in foreign relations and regulation of industries for the common good were overshadowed by his failure to prevent the Great Depression, however. Nevertheless, his efforts to combat the economic collapse were highly progressive and set the stage for Roosevelt’s more radical reforms that finally lifted America out of despair, earning him the mediocre grade of a C+.
 * Thesis **

When the Republican Hoover took office, blind optimism dominated his plans for the nation. His main objective was to maintain the prosperity and growth from the Calvin Coolidge years by protecting American industries with tariffs, lower taxes to continue consumption, and strong advocacy of Prohibition. He gained the support of progressives, women, and churches by proposing increased enforcement of anti-liquor laws that had been instituted by the 18th amendment. He was also a strong proponent of voluntarism, the idea that government intervention in the economy should be minimized to allow cooperation between government, business, and individuals to encourage growth and fair competition. In his inaugural speech, he promised to “triumph over poverty”, something that history would contradict during the coming Depression. Because the Stock Market Collapse of 1929 occurred just 9 months after Hoover took office, much of his relationship with the legislative branch was dedicated to mitigating the financial crisis. However in those 9 months, Hoover was able to pass a series of beneficial pieces of legislation with ease due to a Republican majority in both chambers. He mandated the construction of the Hoover Dam by the Boulder Canyon Project Act, which would provide electricity to the entirety the burgeoning southern half of California. Also, he demonstrated his support for the environment and conservationist cause by signing bills that transferred millions of acres of federal land into state and national forests and parks. When the crash hit, Hoover was reluctant to go back on his laissez faire platform and allay the crisis with government intervention. His dealings with Congress quickly turned sour when some members demanded more decisive government action. Blinded by his optimism, he believed that the downturn was only a short one so he passed moderate bills to urge industry and laborers to cooperate, jumpstart infrastructure, and lower taxes. He alienated the Democrats and progressive Republicans by signing the Smoot-Hawley tariff which worsened the Depression and by not agreeing to increase government spending. When it was too late, he attempted to embrace some “New Deal” methods of injecting millions of dollars into the economy and establishing a proto-welfare state. But by this time, the public had already lost its patience with Hoover’s cautious approaches with repairing the economy and elected Roosevelt instead.
 * Goals **
 * Relationship with Congress **

President Hoover’s largest successes probably came in the field of diplomacy and foreign negotiations. His dedication to the cause of securing friendly relations with the Latin American nations may have contributed to America’s success in the WWII and other conflicts. Seeking to end the age of American imperialism initiated by Roosevelt and Taft, Hoover attempted to make reparations for past wrongs by minimizing the American political influence on the region. By removing American military personnel and bases in those smaller nations like Panama, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Haiti, it demonstrated that America sought to be an honest, peaceful trading partner and not an oppressor. This established the pan-American alliance that kept South and Central Americans close to the Allied powers and away from possible Axis manipulation.
 * Positive Impact **

It is clear that Hoover’s biggest mistake is not understanding the magnitude of the Great Depression and failing to take appropriate action against it. His conservative beliefs were fixated on limiting government intervention in the economy and allowing industry-laborer alliances to carry the country in the right direction. He took to heart inaccurate reports from the Federal Reserve Board that the worst of the Depression had passed in 1930 and failed to enact deeper government intervention to save the economy. He resisted efforts to create a welfare system to help the suffering poor or use government money to stimulate the economy. When it was all but obvious that the Depression was more serious than any other downturn in the country’s history, Hoover finally decided to enact these radical stimulation plans to boost employment that the Democrats and Progressive Republicans demanded. These efforts came too late; the Depression was well underway and it would require Roosevelt’s firm, radical approach to repair the broken country.
 * Negative Impact **

For other presidents, it was what they did that had an impact on future Americans. For Hoover, rather, it was what he failed to do that significantly impacted American perceptions on the roles of government in regulating society, economy, and the lives of its citizens. Although he did not cause the Depression, his failure to enact decisive government intervention to end the momentous downturn exacerbated and prolonged its effects. Hoover was the last President to cling to old ideals of laissez-faire governance. Subsequent leader, especially Franklin Delano Roosevelt, championed the approaches of larger government roles in regulating business and the economy to ensure its stability. Therefore, Hoover inadvertently helped the New Deal by showing to Roosevelt what did and did not work and revealed the flaws in the American financial system that caused the downturn, allowing him to craft the perfect plan to pull America out of the Great Depression.
 * Future Impact **

It is an indubitable fact that America was worse off at the end of the single term of Herbert Hoover. At the beginning, Hoover rode the ship of maintaining prosperity and a stock market boom. By 1933, he eagerly cleared the way for Roosevelt to repair a nation that faced 25% unemployment and the complete collapse of industry, agriculture, and banking. However, Hoover earnest efforts assisted his successor in reforming the seriously damaged American economic and political system, earning him the grade of a C+.
 * Conclusion **

//Citations//

// Hamilton, David E. "American President: Herbert Clark Hoover." // // Miller //// Center ////. University of Virginia. Web. 01 Dec. 2011. . //

// Hoover, Herbert. "Inaugural Address (March 4, 1929)." // // Miller //// Center ////. University of Virginia. Web. 01 Dec. 2011. . // // (primary source) //

// Smith, Richard Norton, and Timothy Walch. "The Ordeal of Herbert Hoover." // // National Archives and Records Administration ////. Web. 01 Dec. 2011. . //