As I have said before, Hoover was a good man, probably a better man than FDR but his economic panaceas for the depression were extremely conventional. He proposed higher Tariffs to help the farmers but this brought reprisal abroad and made things worse for them. Hoover shunned the idea of regulating business and instead urged business leaders to maintain jobs, wages and prices voluntarily, this policy ostensibly failed as unemployment rose from 3% to 25% in the period 1929-1933. In any event FDR proposed a decidedly interventionist approach declaring The country needs, and unless I mistake it's temper, the country demands bold, persistent experimentation. Hoover declared FDR's proposals would destroy the very foundations of the American system. By not offering radical solutions to radical problems and instead being exceedingly cautious, Hoover became seen as weak and ineffectual in stark contrast to the evidently powerful and charismatic FDR who won with a resounding 7 million votes over Hoover.
