The Great Depression and the 1932 Election

• Step 2: Overproduction — Factories were left with surplus stock they could not sell.

• Step 3: Redundancies — To save money, factories cut production and sacked workers.

• Step 4: Reduced Spending Power — Sacked workers had even less money, further lowering national demand and restarting the cycle.

The social effects were catastrophic. By 1932, over 250,000 families had their homes repossessed. Homeless citizens were forced to build shanty towns out of cardboard and scrap wood. These became sarcastically known as Hoovervilles, reflecting the public's blame on the President. Major encampments appeared in prominent locations, including Central Park in New York City and Anacostia Flats in Washington D.C.

In rural America, agricultural prices dropped so low that shipping costs exceeded sale prices (e.g., it cost $1.10 to ship a sheep that would sell for under $1.00). Between 1929 and 1932, 750,000 farmers lost their land. This was worsened by the Dust Bowl, where severe drought and "Black Blizzards" devastated 100 million acres across the Great Plains, forcing 1 million "Okies" to migrate west toward California.

Hoover’s Ideological Failure

Why would a President refuse to hand out government money while millions of citizens lost their homes? President Herbert Hoover did not want people to suffer, but his political philosophy severely limited his response to the crisis.

Hoover believed in Rugged Individualism, the idea that people should succeed through self-reliance rather than relying on state support. He also championed Laissez-faire economics, arguing the government should maintain a "hands-off" approach to the free market. Consequently, Hoover deeply opposed creating a national welfare system or giving out The Dole, believing it would destroy a person's work ethic and self-respect.

Instead of legislation, Hoover relied on Volunteerism. He established committees like the President’s Emergency Committee for Employment (PECE) to coordinate private charity. However, volunteerism failed because the sheer scale of the Depression rapidly outpaced what private charities could afford.

Hoover was not entirely inactive. He doubled public works spending to $4 billion, notably commissioning the $49 million Hoover Dam. In 1932, he established the Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC), providing $2 billion in loans to banks and railroads. However, this "trickle-down" approach failed to help ordinary citizens. By vetoing direct relief bills (like the Garner-Wagner Relief Bill), Hoover cemented his image as a "do-nothing" President out of touch with the people's suffering.

The Bonus Army Incident (1932)

A government's treatment of its veterans often defines its public image, and in 1932, Hoover made a fatal political miscalculation.

Between May and July 1932, between 15,000 and 25,000 First World War veterans marched on Washington D.C. They were officially known as the Bonus Expeditionary Force, but the press called them the Bonus Army. They demanded the early payment of a $1,000 war bonus that was not legally due until 1945 (nicknamed the "Tombstone Bonus").

When the Senate rejected a bill to pay the bonuses early, Hoover ordered General Douglas MacArthur to evict the veterans from their camps. The military used tanks, fixed bayonets, and Adamsite tear gas against the peaceful protesters. Two veterans were shot and killed, an infant died from tear gas inhalation, and at least 1,000 were injured as their camps were burned to the ground. Newsreels of the brutal eviction shocked the nation and acted as the final "nail in the coffin" for Hoover's presidency.

The 1932 Presidential Election Campaigns

Elections during a crisis often come down to a choice between the grim present and a hopeful future. The November 1932 election was a stark contrast between the deeply unpopular incumbent, Herbert Hoover, and the charismatic Democratic challenger, Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR).

FDR directed his campaign at the Forgotten Man — the ordinary citizens, farmers, and workers at the bottom of the economic pyramid who felt ignored by Hoover. Advised by a group of academic experts known as the Brain Trust, FDR promised the country a New Deal, which included plans for relief, recovery, and reform.

Feature	Herbert Hoover's Campaign	Franklin D. Roosevelt's Campaign
Campaign Style	Passive and defensive. Perceived as "grim" and "dour". He did not begin campaigning until October 1932 and mostly stayed in the White House.	Highly energetic and active. Travelled up to 13,000 miles by train (the "Roosevelt Special") and delivered up to 15 speeches a day.
Key Promises	Defended his record. Blamed the Depression on "international factors" outside of America's control. Called FDR a "chameleon on plaid".	Promised a "New Deal". Pledged to repeal Prohibition (the 18th Amendment), restore purchasing power for farmers, and protect small banks.
Public Image	Associated with failure, the brutality of the Bonus Army eviction, and a lack of empathy for the poor.	Projected strength and optimism. He flew to Chicago to accept the nomination in person, showing vitality despite suffering from polio.

On 8th November 1932, FDR won a historic Landslide victory. He secured 22.8 million popular votes (57.4%) and 472 Electoral College votes across 42 states. Hoover won only 15.7 million votes and a mere 6 states, decisively ending his political career.