The Interregnum: Roosevelt vs. Hoover

Today I wanted to take a look at the differing views of President Hoover and President Franklin D. Roosevelt and how their incongruity contributed to the failure of the nation to stabilize and materialize during the times of the Great Depression.

Overview:

The Interregnum was a 4 month gap between the transition from President Hoover, who was exiting office, and to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the new incoming president. Due to the 20th amendment, the inauguration date was moved to January 20th. It was time where there was a lack of direction and leadership during a struggling period since both presidents had little influence; people no longer cared about a president leaving and the other one was not in officially presidency to hold power. This period was one of the lowest economic points of the Great Depression. The differing economic and political policies between Hoover and Roosevelt ultimately created the conflict that would further worsen the economic situation.

Different Views in Economic and Foreign Policies

In terms of foreign relations, President Hoover believed in eliminating all foreign debts in order to entice other nations to export American products. He believed that other nations would feel a sense of indebtedness to our country and buy from the American market. On the other hand, Roosevelt thought that foreign trade was unnecessary and wanted to focus on creating a national economy. He believed that the Great Depression occurred through domestic means, so it could be cured through domestic ways as well. Along with that, President Hoover desired to uphold the gold standard, but Roosevelt favored silver and failed to acknowledge Hoover’s plan. This created a currency devaluation at the worst possible time and further decrease in the economy.  

Political Views

In the eyes of many, President Roosevelt was seen to a have dictator like style to him. He had a firm grip on the country during these times and executed his power in unorthodox ways. FDR arguably used much of his powers for good to fix the recession. However, when the country was weak and in need he took advantage of his power to further his party’s ideas. Instances such as dissolving the Gold Standard, Security Regulations, and Public Works are examples of changes Roosevelt made with his executive decision. On the other hand, President Hoover was seen more as a progressive and reformer. He believed that the federal government should place a system to regulate the economy instead of directly intervening. In addition, he pursued to aid farmers and the agricultural market. In 1930, Hoover signed the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act, which would raise the tariffs on imports and ultimately help protect farmers.

Conclusion

Many people blame Hoover for much of the Great Depression because of his inability to execute an effective plan and system to carry America out of the Great Depression, but a lot of it can accredited to Roosevelt’s initial complacency and stubbornness as well. The adversity between the two and the lack of cooperation as a whole during the Interregnum is the main reason for the country’s failure to recover immediately. The country may have been able to recover from it’s “wounds” much quicker if there was a better compromise between the two presidents of the time.
Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_D._Roosevelt
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_Hoover