Hoover v. RoseveltA liberal favors modification and generally utilizes government involvement to promote social change. On the other hand a conservative has a more traditional viewpoint and tends to oppose change. While President Hoover is commonly thought of as a conservative and President Roosevelt a liberal the disarray and the status of the nation gave them no time to decipher their tendencies.
It was through their recourse and reforms that we can now say these things all the while never fully knowing but never forgetting their predicament. In times where everything by which people have based their lives falls and crumbles to the ground. These people had to “watch the things you have given your life to, broken, and stoop and build them with worn out tools. ” When something, such as this has changed the times so immensely and brought the nation into a seemingly endless hole the only way to recover is to fill the hole back up or crawl out. While a liberal may promote change, change was the only option in these desperate times.
Both Hoover and Roosevelt were preserving the country through alteration. Hoover changed to keep it the same, to keep the tradition, to conserve the nation. Roosevelt changed to make it better, to help the common man, to restore liberty. Thus, deriving the terms that Roosevelt was a liberal and Hoover a conservative.
The nation had taken a devastating plunge in 1929, the Great Depression had struck, Hoover President at the time. The country was plummeting and Hoover held out his hand, although the people too scared to be saved let themselves fall deeper (Document D). Hoover believed that by giving the rich tax breaks and giving money to big businesses the money would eventually redistribute itself and “Trickle Down” from the top. By doing so people would keep their morale and with their character saved they would eventually gain their own ground.
Hoover had reforms, his anti-depression strategies consisted of voluntary measures “Economic depression cannot be cured by legislative action or executive pronouncementThe best contribution of government lies in encouragement of this voluntary cooperation of the community” (Document B). This showed that the people would have to make the effort not the government, where as the liberal view might stand, as saying Hoover should have supplied them all with aid and conformed to society. Hoover died try to limit production, cut taxes, lower spending, and instilled a doctorate of Public Works more than rigorous than ever before. “I recommend large appropriations for loans to rehabilitate agriculture from the drought and provision of further lager sums for public works and construction in the drought territory” (Document C). Though his efforts valiant and interests in which he figured to be best at the time his programs did not seem to do much for the common man and by these people he was considered out of touch.
Thanks to the Keynesian Economics and Roosevelt’s personal belief in a deficit. A plan was devised to spend more money and get it circulating again. As the deficit went up the U. S. slowly pulled themselves from the depths of the depression (Document F). The New Deal entailed three main goals; relief, recovery and reform.
The programs under each of the three categories were founded upon the ideals of liberalism. In that they wanted to touch and aid the masses. Roosevelt said, “Out of strains and stresses of these years we have come to see that the true conservative is the man who has a real concern for in justices and inequalities as arise from it. The most serious threat to our institutions comes for those who refuse to face the need for change. Liberalism becomes the protection for the far-sighted conservative” (Document G). Roosevelt believed that “NOW” was the time and acted upon those thoughts.
He came a long way and he was going to continue to work as long as problems arose. (Document H). This may be the line that separates Hoover and Roosevelt, Hoover probably would have ceased here although FDR presued farther. Although they were a part of different parties and held different beliefs but were reaching for the same star in the very distant sky. I don’t believe that Hoover had any intentions of making things worse he was just doing what he thought to be best at the time.
You will never know how great of a person lies within until they have been given a trying circumstance to overcome. Roosevelt and Hoover were definitely given that. Hoover had reforms much like President Regan’s (another conservative) in the 1980’s but both Hoover and Regan left the nation in economical turmoil. “Wise and prudent men-intelligent conservatives-have long known that in a changing world worthy institutions can be conserved only by adjusting them to changing time I am that kind of conservative because I am that kind of liberal” (Document G). Hoover changed to keep it the same, to keep the tradition, to conserve the nation.
Roosevelt changed to make it better, to help the common man, to restore liberty. Thus, deriving the terms that Roosevelt was a liberal and Hoover a conservative.
