Herbert Hoover's Political Philosophy

Politically, Hoover identified as a moderate Republican in the mold of Theodore Roosevelt.  He revered the Constitution and values of the United States, and mistrusted imported ideologies, such as anarchism and communism.  Hoover felt the United States needed to provide a clear alternative to these new ideologies. He called it “American Individualism”.

Pres. Herbert Hoover

In American Individualism Hoover explained the philosophic, spiritual, economic, and political grounds of American Individualism. He defined American Individualism “as the source of human progress — that each individual shall be given the chance and stimulation for development of the best which he has been endowed in the heart and mind”.  Hoover championed the “equality of opportunity” — the idea that, in America, hard work can lead anyone with enough self-initiative to become successful and wealthy.


Seven months after Hoover was sworn in as President of the United States, the stock market collapsed, setting off the Great Depression.  At first Hoover expected the economy to recover largely on its own.  Hoover was opposed to “direct aid” from government to individuals.  He feared that federal aid might lead to dependence on the government and hurt the “rugged individualism” that was source of the American people’s moral strength.  He preferred for the federal government to provide relieve to private business, so that they might recover and rehire unemployed Americans.

But as the Depression continued to grow worse, Pres. Hoover did expand the role of the government to help the economy. Among his efforts to solve the depression were:

The Reconstruction Finance Corporation which funded loans to banks, railroads and insurance companies to prevent these companies from going bankrupt, which would, in Hoover's view, deepen the depression.

The Federal Home Loan Bank Act, which created Savings and Loan institutions to provide loans for home ownership.

The Emergency Relief and Construction Act, which authorized over one billion dollars in public works projects.

As the Depression dragged on (with unemployment reaching 25%), most Americans became increasingly disenchanted with Hoover.  Many felt that he was either unable or unwilling to take steps to rebuild the economy.  In 1932 Hoover was defeated by his Democratic opponent, Franklin D. Roosevelt, in a landslide election.  A significant marjority of Americans voters had rejected Hoover.