Did Hoover Cause The Great Depression Or It Was Just a Coincidence

Herbert Clark Hoover lived from August 10, 1874, in West Branch, Iowa to October 20, 1964, in New York. Herbert was the second of 3 children in a family of Quakers who valued honesty, industriousness, and simplicity. His father, Jesse Clark Hoover (1846-80), worked as a blacksmith and farm-implement dealer. His mother, Hulda Minthorn Hoover (1848-84), was a teacher, she is an extremely pious woman who eventually adopted Quakerism. Herbert Hoover, the 31st President of the United States, is often associated with the Great Depression, but it is inaccurate to say that he caused the economic downturn. The main question still remains 'Did Hoover cause the Great Depression?'. The simple answer is - no, he didn't. The Great Depression was a complex and multifaceted event resulting from a combination of various factors, both domestic and international. 

The young Hoover has an ideal childhood till he reached age six when his father died from heart disease and his mother died of pneumonia three years later. Orphaned Hoover was raised by an uncle who lived in Oregon. Herbert grew up with John and Laura Minthorn, his maternal uncle and aunt. Besides his parents’ character and religiosity, the trauma of his early childhood had a significant impact on him, established him as a self-reliance, industriousness, hardworking person. His moral concern for the needy, abandoned, and downtrodden that would characterize him for the rest of his life. David Copperfield was his favorite book. Hoover was shy, sensitive and introverted when he was young. Moreover, he has somewhat suspicious, because of the loss of his parents. He joined Friends Pacific Academy in Newberg, Oregon.

He received average to failing grades in all subjects except math. Determined, nevertheless, to go to the newly established Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, Hoover studied hard and barely passed the university's entrance exam. He did his major in geology along with being the class treasurer as well as managing the school baseball. Hoover worked as a clerk in the while he was at the university in order to pay his tuition fees. He had attained entrepreneurial skills at an early age by starting a laundry service. He became a mining engineer after graduating from the university. He showed exceptional business ethics and within very less time after leaving Stanford he had a personal wealth of 4 million.

Hoover's Role at the Beginning of the Great Depression

Hoover took office in March 1929, just months before the stock market crash that marked the beginning of the Great Depression. While he implemented certain policies and measures to address the economic crisis, the severity and duration of the depression were influenced by a range of structural economic issues and events that were beyond any single individual's control.

Some of the underlying causes of the Great Depression included speculative excesses in the stock market, overproduction and unequal distribution of wealth, agricultural struggles, high tariffs, banking panics, and a global economic downturn. These factors created a fragile economic environment that eventually led to the collapse of the financial markets and widespread economic distress.

Although Hoover's approach to dealing with the Great Depression has been criticized for not providing enough relief or intervention, it is important to note that he did undertake certain initiatives to mitigate the impact of the economic crisis. He supported measures such as public works projects, the creation of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC) to provide loans to struggling businesses, and efforts to stabilize the banking system. However, these measures were not sufficient to address the magnitude of the crisis and alleviate the suffering experienced by many Americans.

Ultimately, the causes and consequences of the Great Depression were far more complex and systemic than any single individual's actions or policies. It was a culmination of numerous economic, social, and global factors that contributed to the severity and duration of the crisis.

Conclusion

Herbert Hoover was a hardworking, determined from childhood although he faced lots of challenges such as he is orphaned and impoverished. In terms of his communication with his peers, he always considerate and thoughtful. He was overcome the obstacles in his life and never believed in quitting and became the 31st President of America. Furthermore, He remains the important lesson which tried to sort the differences and the problems instead of the person. Throughout his life, he helps to hungry people of Europe at end of Second World War using his own wealth and power. In his pathway of leadership, he is always encouraged feedbacks from everyone, he said that these reviews ease his work. 

References

• Hoover, H., 2013. The Memoirs of Herbert Hoover-The Great Depression, 1929-1941. Read Books Ltd.
• Laing, M. and McCaffrie, B., 2017. The Impossible Leadership Situation? Analyzing Success for Disjunctive Presidents. Presidential Studies Quarterly, 47(2), pp.255-276.
• McElroy, R.W., 2014. Morality and American foreign policy: the role of ethics in international affairs (Vol. 201). Princeton University Press.
• Nash, G.H., 2015. Herbert Hoover and Stanford University. Hoover Press.
• Rappleye, C., 2017. Herbert Hoover in the White House: The Ordeal of the Presidency. Simon and Schuster.
• Walch, T., 2013. Herbert Hoover and Dwight D. Eisenhower: A Documentary History. Springer.