In the election for President in 1932, Franklin Roosevelt won an overwhelming victory over Herbert Hoover. Explain why.

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In the election for President in 1932, Franklin Roosevelt won an overwhelming victory over Herbert Hoover. Explain why.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, a Democrat, came from a wealthy New York family and was educated at Harvard University. He entered politics in 1910 and elected Governor of New York State in 1928 after surviving a bout of polio.

The Democrats choose Roosevelt as their candidate to oppose Hoover in the 1932 Presidential Election. During the campaign he said, "I pledge you, I pledge myself, to a New Deal for the American people". He promised to use government money and power to rebuild the economy.

Roosevelt won with a landslide victory. One of the main reasons for this was that the previous President, Hoover, had not controlled, or attempts to help the economic downfall of the United States. Hoover thought matters would right themselves and therefore took little action. In 1932 Hoover did eventually find some money to help a number of struggling banks and businesses, but he refused to set up federal relief programmes to aid the unemployed. As the Depression dragged on, a protest movement developed among the hungry and the unemployed. Many Americans had lost confidence in President Hoover and were looking for new leadership that arrived in the form of Roosevelt.

Before Hoover took over Presidency, Calvin Coolidge had been in office, during which time he had said, “the business of America is business”.
In the late 20s, industry in general was entering a boom period with entertainments and luxuries becoming a mainstay for the American people. Cars became extremely popular, and the combined effect of isolationism and strict immigration meant that America could focus on itself and became extremely prosperous.

Rather than interfere with the high import taxes and government help for industry, the Presidents who were in power during the 1920s preferred to leave American business to look after itself. Trade union membership declined rapidly, as work was available for most people and people had money to spare. With many new things for people to spend money on such as the cinema, household appliances, and international fashions, the American people as a whole enjoyed the happy-go-lucky atmosphere of an affluent country.

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Herbert Hoover, an orphan from the age of eight, led a rather rough childhood and worked in connection with the mines until he retired at forty; a millionaire. He was a tireless worker, often doing ten hours a day, seven days a week in the years before he became mining engineer and travelled the world. When he successfully stood for President in November 1928, he declared: “We in America are nearer the final triumph over poverty than ever before in the history of mankind”.

Although outwardly, America’s financial situation looked firm, it was built on seriously deficient foundations: people ...

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