The real Herbert Hoover
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- čas přidán 19. 10. 2019
- Herbert Hoover had been president for less than a year when the Crash of 1929 initiated the Great Depression, an epochal event in American history that would place his name near the bottom of presidential rankings. But the engineer and business magnate, who made several fortunes in his 20s, is also remembered as a great humanitarian for feeding several million starving Belgians during World War I, and for introducing a variety of innovations in American life, from standardized traffic lights to milk cartons. Mo Rocca examines Hoover's remarkable rise (from humble beginnings to the White House) and his remarkable fall.
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Fun fact: Herbert and his wife Lou sometime conversed in Chinese while in the White House to foil eavesdropping.
I just texted my friend (born in Taiwan) to see if he knew that.
😲
Yep, he was also the only President to speak Mandarin Chinese.
I call BS!!!!!!!! I've been teaching language for almost 20 years, and also lived in China and Taiwan. My guess is he could speak "some" words, like I can. I bet he was NOT even close to being fluent, and probably could not have a simple conversation.
@@richardzellers He worked as a contractor in China if I'm not mistaken
Bringing Americans home and feeding Belgium should be enough to tell you what kind of man he was. Simply a terrible time to take office.
It was a good time to take office. What was terrible were his party's financial and economic policies (i.e., little to no regulation of Wall Street).
the most famous humanitarian in the world, and as a trained engineer, Herbert Hoover had planned early programs for social security, child labor laws and banking. These became part of FDR’s new deal.
@@annbush1826 Really, Social Security was originally Hoover's idea?
That's right. Because he believed in the market, people mistook his policies as a lack of concern, and the GOP has never recovered; to this day they are painted as the "party of the rich" with no concern for ordinary Americans. I guarantee you that if Al Smith or another Democrat had been president, it would be the opposite situation today, especially because Smith went on to become very anti-New Deal himself.
@@basilmarasco1975 to be honest, i don't think any president of any party could react property. And much of FDR policies begun with Hoover. Just bad timing
Gosh...the man lived for 90 years, but judged by only 4 of them. Underrated for sure. The phrase 'wrong time, right place' is ringing in my head.
The strange thing is that for all the good he did before becoming President (of USA), he is basically remembered for the Depression. That's politics for you.
F.... that liberal. I want total destruction of the government.
@@mkendallpk4321 You are so right.
Yup. I feel like Carter got that treatment too and Trump sorta did as well even though he wasn’t all that great to begin with.
The president gets the credit OR the blame and it’s appropriate here. I do think we should consider that line. Ninety years and judged for four.
And he had Charles Curtis, the first & only Native American so far, as Vice President.
You never hear about that, and because he was a Republican, people never will.
@@painkillerjones6232 TRUE!!!
@Ellie Werner. Right on Sista!
He had More European DNA than Native American
True, but during the time he lived in the early 20th century, that didn't matter much. He was still "mixed-blood" "Indian Charlie" (even was an enrolled Kanza/Kaw Nation tribal member) and a bulk of what he did in congress revolved around that.
this segment doesn't mention he also coordinated the famine relief effort in Russia 1921-22; the Povolzhye famine - throughout history we always talk about the butchers - Hoover should get credit for saving the most lives in history
When a reporter inquired him about helping Bolsheviks, he stated "Whatever their politics, they shall be fed!"
I just read about that today!
And Truman put him in charge of relief in Europe, because as he said, no one knew more about feeding people than Hoover.
Also, he and his wife fought side by side with US Marines in China during the Boxer Rebellion
Whaaaaaaat?! Wait, what??!!??
No they did NOT. Hoover hid under women's cloths during the battle. They did NOT fight. Source General Smedley Butler, USMC.
Another fun fact: During the first ever Big Game (Cal vs. Stanford) being played in San Francisco in 1892, Herbert Hoover was the team manager for the Stanford football team but forgot to bring the football. The game was held up for an hour while Hoover scurried around SF looking for a football.
He is a national hero of Belgium.
Why
@@terrorgaming459 Watch the whole video and you'll understand why. It's ironic because in his own country he's a national villain.
I’m glad I watched this-- I have a new respect and admiration for President Hoover. What a LIFE- what a HEART ! God Bless Bert Hoover !
He was a closet homosexual
Bev Sputler
Get your head out of the parallel universe and read a book.
@Mulberry John What a heart indeed, and yet FDR and the Democrats did everything they could to tar him, and by extension the entire Republican party, as NOT having a heart, and they continue that propaganda campaign to this very day. Their efforts were so successful that people to this day wrongly perceive Republicans as the party of Scrooge, a party with no concern for the poor, needy, or disadvantaged. Of course, anybody who understands logic realizes this is a fallacy. Disagreeing with the proposed solution for a problem doesn't mean you don't care about solving it.
@@bevsputler5455 who isn't?
@@hotwax9376 Well said. Thank you!!
The History Channel documentary from 2004 called, The Presidents, hits the nail on the head when it comes to Hoover. "Before the Great Depression turned Herbert Hoover's name into a synonym for Presidential failure, he was actually one of the most respected men in America. After the outbreak of World War 1, Hoover had organised a relief effort that saved millions from starvation in war torn Belgium. He was later the Food Administrator under Woodrow Wilson and Secretary of Commerce for both Harding and Coolidge."
A historian who featured in this documentary also mentioned, "history has badly blighted his reputation because he had the huge misfortune to be in office during the depression,"
SiVlog I think he also left office with a lower federal budget than when he was inaugurated
Another thing they mentioned in their documentary was that if FDR had been president when the Wall Street crash happened, then people would've demanded someone like Hoover for president in 1932. (It might have even been the same historian, but I can't remember offhand.) This is obviously true when you look at Hoover and FDR's backgrounds. Hoover was a self-made man who grew up in poverty and worked his way to the top, all the while never forgetting about those less fortunate than him and becoming famous for his humanitarian work. FDR came from a wealthy, patrician, WASP-ish, old money family that had been in America since colonial times and inherited nearly all of his money from those centuries of wealth. As such, he would've been seen as the one who was uncaring and out of touch in the early years of the Depression had he been in the White House then.
Another thing to keep in mind is that the New Deal didn't end the Great Depression; nearly every major historian and economist agrees it was World War II that did that. The New Deal simply acted as a bandage to the economy and a safety net to keep people afloat until the markets rebounded. Had the situation between Hoover and FDR been reversed, people would've seen Hoover's more restrained, state-based approach as much more attractive by 1932 than FDR's constant government meddling in the economy.
@@hotwax9376 intriguingly, there are historians who are of the opinion that what truly ended the depression was a massive government spending program. A program that would become known as World War 2. They point out that unemployment fell to 2% in the years immediately after Pearl Harbor with people either joining the armed forces or in war factories
oh he did more then that he tamed the Colorado and gave water to my ancestors who were traveling the country as vagrants during the Depression. Heard of Hoover Dam? it is named after him.
@@geomodelrailroader that figures, was it called "The Boulder Dam," originally?
We could use a generous humanitarian like Herbert Hoover again.
Yes, We sure could.
Hopefully we’ll elect one in about 4 years
Sounds like Jimmy Carter.
Carter and Hoover are such incredible humanitarians, even if history looks at them under a negative spotlight
@@parthibhayat And both are one-term presidents!
We do: his name is chef Jose Andres and he runs an amazing charity called World Central Kitchen.
Astonishing to think this man went from farming a field with an oxen and sleeping by candlelight to seeing jet powered airplanes over flying that day in the Library
The untold story of Hoover definitely puts a different light on him.
Indeed. He did many great things but he inherited a situation he did not know how to deal with and stuck to his solution long after it was obviously not working.
It's nice to have a great grand daughter in the public eye who cares about maintaining his public legacy.
_"Mister, we could use a man like Herbert Hoover again"_
---Archie Bunker
frisco21 Great comment!😊
My favorite Republican president of the 20th century!
"those wererrrr the Days "
I never understood how Archie could be a Republican at that time.
We have a new Hebert Hoover and his name is trump and he is JUST AS HORRIBLE AS THE ORIGINAL
Very informative. Didn't know he was actually so compassionate.
@liberty Ann That's because for almost 90 years, the Democratic party has waged a tireless propaganda campaign to paint him, and by extension the entire Republican party, as NOT being compassionate. It was so effective that people still believe it long after the Depression.
The president was never meant to step in and regulate banking markets. They just get blamed for the bad timing
Indeed. Most people think exactly the opposite, because FDR and the Democrats were so successful in their smear campaign against him.
@@hotwax9376I mean the Republicans aren’t exactly for the little guy, there for the CEO and billionaire
@@TimmyTheTinman The fact that you believe that just further proves my point. You've fallen for FDR and the Democrats' propaganda.
Hoover predicted the stock market crash but his solutions were terrible.
better than fdr which drags it on for another decade
Actually, his ideas helped pave the way for FDR’s New Deal
At the time no one knew what to do
@@RetiredVet2020 which isn’t a good thing
You know after ww2 Democratic president Harry Truman called Herbert Hoover Out Of Retirement and Hoover was in tears because fdr shunned Hoover after he was in office Roosevelt didn't want his advice but he was called by Truman and. Hoover responded almost immediately and president Truman Roosevelt successor gave him warm greeting welcome to white 🏠 they had lunch and Truman asked the former president because he knew his record from 1st war how he helped save waste and help build homes in certain countries in 🇪🇺 so Truman asked for his help in war torn countries and it be called Hoover commission and he helped out and it was a success and the 💰 wasn't wasted and they became friends despite political differences both in poverty and Midwest and family values he Missouri Hoover Iowa they stayed friends til Hoover died in 1964 and Truman got telegram from former president Hoover when Truman slipped and also Hoover though he didn't need the money he made it possible for ex presidents to get pensions because he heard in 1957 Truman struggling he took money for his friend Harry Truman sake he felt it's time ex president got pensions so as citizen Hoover did much more behind scenes and Truman was right renaming boulder dam back. to Hoover dam because fdr thought he didn't need no one outside democratic party despite party differences Truman and Hoover warmed up to each other and were friends til end and when Hoover open up library in 1962 Harry Truman spoke in his 🎖
Having been to the Hoover Library in West Branch myself in 2018, I gained a totally new perspective on Herbert Hoover... He is a very special man, so much more so than he is given credit for.
I definitely did not know President Hoover made so many amazing contributions throughout his life. This is truly shocking and inspiring at the same time. He is definitely going up on my All Time Top 5 Favorite US Presidents list.
I love LOVE these pieces. As kid, I used to read about US Presidents in the Encyclopedia and take notes. Nowadays, professionally I'm a researcher/archival producer. The footage and images in this piece make me smile so much. The past comes alive
Just an observation of many photos of 20's era folks, Coolidge looked ghoulish.
Inaugurated March 4, 1929, Black Friday October 29, 1929. Seven months. No way does he deserve what he got. A long, better look at this man is deserved.
No, Hoover himself didn't cause the crash. His party's policies did. He's sort of guilty by association.
@@57highland No, Republican policies didn't cause the Depression either. The collapse of the stock bubble was just an inevitable consequence of the bubble existing in the first place, just like the housing bubble later on. More proof of just how well FDR's lies and propaganda worked.
The depression must have emotionally devastated him
*Actually he was completely 'at sea' with advice from so many 'learned experts' he fell into a state of inertia...fearful of making a wrong move in terms of regulation or 'emergency measures' that would alienate him from both the 'Titans of Industry' and the 'working public'...he was trapped by events that had never happened before*
i dont think so
@IW Nunn It certainly did, but the Democrats successfully made it appear as if it didn't. Their smear campaign in 1932 was so successful that people to this day think Republicans are a party of heartless, greedy zillionaires who have no concern for the poor and middle class.
@Kevin Morris can't be. No way
@Dennis Young I'm a Republican and I don't only care about the rich.
What a brilliant and extraordinary human being.
My maternal grandmother loved him and cried when he lost but my uncles were happy because they knew they would get jobs under FDR
@Kevin Morris Biden is nothing and will never be anything compared to FDR. Truman, Johnson, Sanders, Theodore Roosevelt are all closer.
@@Norkeys . Biden is a PINO, President in name only.
@Kevin Morris LMAO, WTF?
@Kevin Morris bro you're kidding right? Like, Joe Biden's fine but FDR? Dude, not close.
@@rockyracoon3233 I call Biden the Legal Front, in the form and manner similar to Genco Purica Olive Oil for the Corleone Crime Family in "The Godfather" and the casinos in Reno and Vegas in "The Godfather: Part II".
I went to Hoover elementary school in Salem, Oregon. When I was there Hoover passed away. I remember my teacher talking about how great of a man he was.
What an amazing men! I am so glad that we went to the Hoover Dam! He was not the reason the crash happened!
Well said Sista!
I'd watch a DiCaprio movie on him. Somebody throw Martin Scorsese on this.
Leroy Bobby THE WOLD OF WALL STREET 1929 EDITION
He looks a lot more like Hoover than he did Howard Hughes... I can't stand it when people play a character they look nothing like at all .
DiCaprio playing a Republican president? Bahaha yeah that would be quite an act for DiCaprio!
@@deplorabledani6080 Dicaprio played J. Edgar Hoover already ...
Deplorable Dani he’s apparently playing grant in a movie so honestly who knows
Just found out today that Hoover's childhood home in Newberg, Oregon still exists and it is a museum. I can't wait to visit.
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newberg,_Oregon
The people who put all the blame of the entire depression squarely on Hoover never paid attention in history class in high school. The 1920s weren't called the "roaring 20s" for nothing. For the entire decade people were racking up major debt on credit for cars, houses, and loans. It was already at the point of no return when Hoover took office in Jan. of '29. You can't put the blame on him. Maybe he can be blamed for not seeing what was coming down the pike, but he certainly can't be blamed for causing it. He gets a much worse deal historically than he deserves.
Joe True, Hoover doesn't deserve all the blame. The three Repub presidents who ran the country during the 1920's all share the blame together.
Fitness First -Really? It was the Fed who oversees banks who is to blame. They are an independent entity with strict rules forbidding the President’s interference. Know what your talking about before you throw around your moronic propaganda.
The main culprit in this is the Federal Reserve Banks. From an exaggerated fear of inflation, they started stop the growth of the money supply in 1928. After the crash, the Fed continued these policies for the next 4 years, and the money supply shrank by 1/3! If they had begun to regrow the money supply in 1930, the economy would rebounded in 1931.-
EVERY Repub president in history has had at least one recession hit on his watch. Four out of the last five Dem presidents had ZERO recessions hit on their watch. FACTS matter.
The two worst economic crises in history: the Great Recession and the Bush Recession, hit after Repub presidents had been running economic policy for years.
Thank you for telling us about the other 86 years of this awesome man. I’m a young black girl and mr. Hoover is a new hero of mine.
i wrote a paper about President Hoover in High School and learn a great deal. I saw him in a different light after that
As a native Iowan, I grew up being proud that we had produced a president. The town I lived in, was only an hour away from his presidential library and all fifth graders got to take a field trip to it. Naturally, as a 10 year old, I didn’t understand all the ins and outs of politics, and I didn’t know about his unpopularity. I think I would’ve found everything much more interesting at that age if schools would have highlighted his humanitarianism.
I’ve always put Hoover in the group a 10 presidents that people don’t knew much about. Thank you for this information!
thanks for showing us more of Hoover's accomplishments- he was a gifted man!
This is one of favorite segments from Sunday Morning. Such an amazing man, humanitarian and problem solver.
Fascinating never knew much about him I always heard he got a bad rap, my grandfather a republican admired him now I know why, it was fabulous to hear this, i do remember that he was still alive in the early sixties, I blame the media for this misconception of this fine man Early signs of how the media influenced our young minds Thanks for this update wish we had 🐝 been aware say. 60 years ago when I was 12
Thank you for setting the record straight
I visited the Hoover Library in Iowa several years ago. I learned all of the things mentioned in this video. He was an interesting and very intelligent man.
It is not surprising that so many Americans expected great things when Hoover became president in 1929, given his remarkable career and his proven skill at managing great projects.
He was extremely handsome young, would never have thought so only seeing older pictures previously.
Jeeze, I never had much respect for the guy. I certainly do now. Not only awesome, but SO good hearted & kind. RIP Mr. President. And thank you!
“You know, Herbert Hoover once stayed here on this floor.”
“The vacuum guy?”
“No, the uh, President.” 😁
Lmao I get it 😂
Home Alone 2 Lost in New York!😀
Mollie Tenpenny I looooove that movie! You win a limousine and a PEET-ZA!
Corey Messick I was thinking this exact same quote while watching this video
Joel Nava High five! ✋🏻💥
Great man. We need more like him.
Sounds like a nice person. I looked him up because they mention him in the All in the Family opening song: “Mister, we could use a man like Herbert Hoover again 🎼 “
Hoover, a business man, also helped with food and aid to the Soviets during the Russian famine of 1921, 8 years before he was president.. Over 5 million people were starved to death and Vladimir Lenin sent an open letter to "all honest European and American people", to "give bread and medicine" and the United States was the first to respond, feeding over 10 million men women and children daily, and providing clothing and medicine using 237 US ships. Hoover was a great humanitarian.
Goes to show high office can ruin a beautiful reputation!
Thank you for doing this piece.
Im from the Newberg area and never knew he was from this area, I actually stayed in the Herbert Hoover suite at the Klamath river resort Inn on the California Oregon border.. Its a fishing lodge on the river, very neat place.
After lots of reading I came to the conclusion that Woodrow Wilson was a worse president. Many more million Americans died in Wilson's term than in Hoover's
I don't recall details, but I recall that there are some things that he built, or designed, in countries other than the USA, that still are significant today. He clearly was one of the great engineers of his time. Perhaps other readers know more details?
The Great Depression reached its worst point in 1933, with 25 % unemployment. It was largely caused by a 1/4 cut i the money supply. 100 percent of both Repubs ad Demos politicians enacted the Glass Steagall Act which regulated banking until 1999. With that gone, we had the Great Recession.
He was a truly great man who deserves a massive rehabilitation.
Wow.. I never this about him. Very impressive record. I now believe he was more than capable of seeing us out of the depression.
Much to admire about Hoover, recently the same about Grant - much more impressive than the 50 years I've heard both generally maligned.
The Grant administration is generally recognized as one of the most corrupt in American History. So he is not maligned without good reason.
@@basilmarasco1975 Maybe so, but he also did a lot to advance civil rights during Reconstruction. Despite all his scandals, Grant was a much better president than he's made out to be.
"We could use a man like Herbert Hoover again!"
@@drewhendley That is a line from the All in the Familt show theme song.
Family
@@drewhendley Lighten up
Fascinating
The Chad Hoover Vs the Virgin Roosevelt
I felt guilty about my grudge on Herbert Hoover thinking he was a corrupt man living in his riches after learning all of this about him.
Same
Remarkable man. He and his wife lived in China when he was an engineer and they could speak Chinese. I read that sometimes they spoke Chinese in the White House and so others wouldn’t know what they were saying. I believe he helped with humanitarian aid during the Second World War also
Yes, he did sent help to defeated Germany after ww2
Thank you as always for enlightening me. Keep up the good work
WOW!
Omg I love Hoover!!
Thank you!
Great information as always.
Love that Mo told his story.
He was a stable genius.
WOW what an interesting bio---I had no idea of Hoovers great deeds
the second book printed on the Gutenberg printing press, after the Bible, was De Re Metallica. it was translated into english by a young mining engineer by Herbert Hoover
it was about mining, as performed in Germany 500 years ago. If you are interested in mining, or dowsing, you need a copy.
It was the first book to have illustrations of the "Blacksmith A swings hammer B on anvil C" type. back then mining was done by monks. The first monk carried the lantern, the second monk read out loud from the bible, the following monks carried mining implements
Excellent segment
May he rest in peace! 🙏
The most achieved couple (let's not diminish Lou's incredible achievements in her own right) to ever occupy the White House.
Thank you so much . I had no idea . I will seek out a book on Hoover.
I’m alive today because he brought food to my ancestors. Forever greatful
FINALLY...the record is set straight...I wish we had a leader like him today!
This piece also did not discuss the policies Hoover maintained which many economists say made the crash turn into a depression.
Mr Whyte wrote a good book on Hoover. Before I read the book I didn't realize what an accomplished per President Hoover was. Good video too.
Guys.....WONDERFUL content. I will show this to my students when I cover the Great Depression.
my grandma would roll her eyes everytime his name came up. she hated that man. how come you dont hear this in your high school history books.
He was a closet homosexual!
I try to give High School history teachers a break. There are several thousand years of documented history and you could read history books 24/7 for the rest of your life and not get through them all. High School history class takes up no more than 400 hours total so 99% of history must be left out. You can always find fault with what was omitted but we have no one to blame if we stop learning at 18.
What is it you want them to teach about Hoover?
Same reason. My grandmother LOVED FDR, and became a lifelong democrat because of his popularity, and the false notion that HE brought us out of the depression.
My great-grandparents who were in their 90s just hated the man. I remember them telling me this back 1994. They remembered him a different than what is portrayed here.
Love this look on Jane! I thought she was wearing a tie 😉
Barbara Salapek I thought so too!
Women wore ties in the 30's. The ties didn't look like men's ties; they were wide and stopped at the cleavage.
Didn't know that...Thank you
A hero he was Friends with
My grandfather in Oregon
Sure
Wow , it sucks how little he's remembered for
Poor kid barely had anything and then had every little thing taken 😔
I've read this biography. It's great. I highly recommend it
I read it. incredible human being
There were so many great things that Hoover did but due the media, some history tellers & an opposing politician's campaign slogan they shaped the narrative of him. The depression was prolonged by Roosevelt: it lasted 12 more years under his presidency. This Country started turning around during the production of military equipment. Things haven't changed much, one political side still shapes the narrative & the media conveys it. This is prof People should always think for themselves & not listen to a one sided political slant.
So very interesting what a great man!
Problem with Hoover was that he did very little once the Depression hit. He didn’t think it was the federal government’s job to directly assist the public. People were suffering from unimaginable poverty and Hoover essentially shrugged his shoulders. Roosevelt did the exact opposite and the people loved him for it.
You're spouting propaganda, read up on your history. Hoover was a major interventionist once the Depression hit. FDR's campaign was troublesome because it was difficult to differentiate his platform from Hoover's in any significant way. Both of their confused experimentations in Keynesian policy prolonged the Depression for years until world war rescued the economy.
FDR was no saint and made his share of mistakes and Daddy-O my reading backs up all you say
You're right he didn't think it was the federal government's job to directly assist the public, but he DID support state and local relief programs. He simply thought federal aid would create too much bureaucracy that would cause other problems. It wasn't because he didn't care about people's suffering; he simply had different ideas about how to resolve it.
Very interesting. Thank you for posting, CBS!
Wow, I am so glad i watched that!... Herbert Hoover what a class act, amongst politicians of The USA!
Thank you for posting. Accomplished and Respected in difficult times .
U.s. news & World Report places him as the 10th worst president and says this about him: "Once the Depression set in, he lowered taxes and started public works projects to create jobs, but he steadfastly resisted outright relief.... A poor communicator, he came across as mean-spirited and uncaring. The homeless dubbed their make-shift shanty towns Hoovervilles.
Perhaps his single greatest policy blunder was supporting and signing into law a tariff act that fueled international trade wars and made the Depression even worse....
For all his good qualities, it is fair to say that Hoover failed to rise to the greatest challenge of his time. "
Likewise, the gopher tortoise became known as the "Hoover chicken."
very eye opening
Incredible
"The use of the atomic bomb, with its indiscriminate killing of women and children, revolts my soul."
Herbert Hoover aug. 7 1945 he was a PEACE ACTIVIST A QUAKER a gem he WAS A GRAND PEACE ACTIVIST, kevin d. blanch Ph.D.
Oh, my God, where are men and women like HH that can lead our nation now?
Good man, great man, one of the greatest Americans in our nation's history. Hoover's long been labelled a presidential failure due to his poor to non-existent handling of the Great Depression, essentially condemned by historians as doing absolutely nothing to mitigate its effects. This is unfair simply because it isn't true. Hoover tried many things to combat & alleviate the unprecedented economic disaster but we must remember his background as well as the era in which he lived. The federal government at that point in our history wasn't seen as the relief-provider of 1st-resort. Hoover believed in self-reliance & that social & civic institutions such as churches & other charitable organizations should help the suffering populace. He promoted this belief relentlessly. The truth, however, is that these entities were ill-equipped & insufficient to deal with an ever-deepening, dire crisis. He firmly believed the Federal Reserve Board, created under Woodrow Wilson, was responsible essentially for the enormous calamity then unfolding. Yes, in retrospect, Hoover should've been more proactively imaginative in handling the depression but it wasn't in his make-up to involve the federal government in people's lives to the unprecedented extent the crisis required. This was a commonly shared belief among his Cabinet, other financial & big business advisors, & the federal bureacracy overall. Most of the U.S. population as well were extremely reluctant to accept charity of any kind, much less federal largesse. Their personal traits, habits, background, the nation's historical traditions of self-sufficiency, & the specific era in which they lived, plus old-fashioned, stiff-necked pride, prevented many people from even entertaining the thought of receiving financial and/or charitable help of any kind, even food to eat. Ultimately, Hoover & his administration didn't know how to handle the crisis, certainly not on the scale the situation demanded. To be fair, FDR's initiatives in combating the Depression largely were unsuccessful, too, but he had the imagination & personality to instill confidence & optimism, as well as to give the appearance that he constantly was trying a great variety of things to beat it, failure not being an option. Through newsreels & other modern forms of propaganda, FDR created in the nation a sense of constant momentum, that the U.S. was engaged in many positive projects all across the country that, ultimately, would help both the common man & American society in general. In truth, of course, it was the vast spending required by the advent of WW2 that finally gained the upper-hand against the Great Depression. Hoover has my sympathy & respect. His belief in one's self-reliance & private charity----and not instant federal involvement, relief, & solution to any & all crises---is one that, once common among U.S. citizens everywhere, vanished long-ago from the American landscape.
By far the best US President ever. He is a legend in the Goldfields of Western Australia and a hero especially involved saving a Italians life at Bonnievale just north of Coolgardie
So much like Jimmy Carter. The patterns of their lives are so similar.
Difference is that Hoover was brilliant and not
a liberal that had no idea of how to lead.
he may have been a humanitarian in some respects but he should NEVER have crushed the "Bonus Marchers" in Washington, DC who were only trying to collect what was promised to them by the US government...THAT was poor leadership!!
“Leonardo de caprio” No way, Tom Hanks is better!
A good man who was dealt a nightmare and didn’t handle it properly
I think it would be a great idea if we could hear about all the presidents ...one at a time on each show!