One small but admirable fact about hoover. During the 1928 election he refused to criticise Smith on the basis of his religion(He was the first Catholic to run for president). This is significant because smith's campaign was tarnished due to anti-Catholic views and lies that were believed by many US citizens at the time and hoover could have easily taken advantage of this but he didn't.
As an American my general knowledge of Hoover was limited to a nearly blank index card that read "Hoovervilles." "Great Depression." "Vacuum cleaner name." Thanks for this!
The most interesting thing about Hoover is that on paper he sounds like the perfect guy to be president during something like the great depression, yet in reality he struggled greatly to handle the situation like anyone else would.
I'm British and think what Hoover achieved needs to be taught in schools! We are often simply told that the American/British relationship is special, that we are like the older brother to America without really knowing why. The fact that so many Americans cut down on food to ensure we didn't starve is amazing! All I can truly say is 'thank you' because I have no doubt my ancestors and the ancestors of my friends and family would have benefited from this in some way, shape or form.
This man has a stunning talent for producing genuinely well researched subjects and presenting them in a riveting, gripping way. One of the greats on UA-cam.
Wow, this has to be one off the most interesting Biographics I've watched. What a crappy President but an absolutely amazing man. As an Australian all I learnt about him was his time in office, which honestly is an absolute blight on an otherwise massively inspirational life.
As an American I really appreciate your balanced and nuanced presentation of our history, or anyone's for that matter. You and your team are great about that. Cheers
They were also the best of friends. I read a book that discussed the friendships of presidents and apparently Hoover cried when Truman called him for advice on how to help feed Europe post-WW2 because Hoover spent over a decade being slammed by Roosevelt and he really did love helping people.
I remember the documentary series, The Presidents, started the segment on Hoover thus: "Before the Great Depression turned Herbert Hoover’s name into a synonym for Presidential failure, he was actually one of the most respected men in America. After the outbreak of WW1, Hoover had organised a relief effort that saved millions from starvation in war torn Belgium. He was later Food Administrator under Woodrow Wilson and Secretary of Commerce for both Harding and Coolidge. "History has badly blighted his reputation because he had the huge misfortune of being in office during the Depression. Hoover was elected President in 1928 because he widely acknowledged as the most important public figure of the ensuing decade,"
@@ligmasack9038 look up Hoover’s background, indeed, watch this video. He was no Socialist, he didn't believe in direct Government intervention to ward off the depression, instead relying on voluntarism, asking employers to voluntarily improve working conditions and wages
I suspect, in hindsight, Donald Trump might be looked on as being thoroughly average president (except for being a boorish ass) who, similarly, was the unfortunate victim of circumstance in 2020.
_The Great Depression was a Behemoth of such destructive force, that there was no president that could’ve survived it’s wrath._ Alas, as undeniable it may be the fact that perhaps Herbert Hoover as a president might’ve handled things somewhat better, it’s highly debatable that any other president it his place would’ve been able to do any better.
If it were possible it would be interesting to see what other strategies other presidents would've come up with but I doubt any of them would do much better given the times.
What we should also remember his that the POTUS is but one man. One man with a lot of power but still only one man. The economy is about what millions of men and women do or fail to do.
That's probably true, especially considering what an unprecedented event the Great Depression was. Sure, there had been other economic depressions before (both in the US and elsewhere), but none as severe or long-lasting, nor as international in scale. It was literally impossible for anyone to know how to respond. Literally anybody who was president when it started would've been doomed, and Hoover simply had the bad luck of being that man. If FDR had been president in 1929 and attempted the New Deal at that point, then by 1932 Americans would have been begging for someone like Hoover.
I think it's genuinely humorous how BADLY Hoover got done by the circumstances he was in. He was a truly good man though, which is also sad because all people see is his failed Presidency.
Hoover gets to much blame for the depression. The seeds of that depression were sown fifteen years before . The punishment of Germany being one of them buying stock at ten cents to a dollar , plus a crooked stock market when pump and dump was a normal occurrence. He tried to do things to help get the economy going . The tariff act was not smart . Thats when we needed the trade. He made mistakes , but until Congress got involved and passed much needed stock market reforms the economy limped along. You can blame Hoover for the start of the Depression, but the other eight years could be placed on FDRS doorstep.
@@dangreene9846 I disagree, I'd say Hoover simply was unable to grasp the severity of the situation and because of his self made background he placed the same expectations on the people of the day, while this was intended to inspire he failed to see that it wasn't simply a matter of inspiring the nation to overcome adversity but rather a failure of government to adapt to the situation. You can inspire an army to fight but if you send them to battle with sticks and stones against tanks and cannons they cannot possibly win. FDR was able to see that the depression wouldn't be solved by small state level legislation but by large federal reforms. Those kind of reforms aren't quick to take off but they do gain traction as time goes by.
It is interesting because when I learned about Hoover in high school American history that our teacher actually portrayed him very positively as a president who just got caught up in a really bad situation at the wrong time. (The same history teacher also told us that he felt that Richard Nixon had been pretty much railroaded and failed by his staff during Watergate.) The one thing that I think this video exposes about Hoover is that he was really good when a crisis was blowing up around him but he really could not see the possibility of other problems occurring in the future. He was just one of those people who did well in the present when in the thick of things
I have always thought that if Nixon had been a Democrat, the Washington Post would have left him alone. LBJ did some illegal things and got away with them.
It seems like Hoover was a victim of the Peter Principle, people assumed that his great skill in coordinating humanitarian relief would translate into being a competent president.
There should be a variant of the Peter principle where the talents you falsified don't translate well to the job of president. Call it the Orange Rule.
I agree! The coordinating got food to the needy, but the coordinating did not actually produce the produce, or gave birth to more livestock. Hoover could’ve moved a bale of hay for a cow, but he couldn’t give birth to a cow to feed the people.
His skill of organizing aid was to a limited area in Europe where we, in the USA & other parts world, could pitch in & help. The Great Depression was worldwide issue which all countries where affected so there was no real help from outside so his personal experience thought one “lift themselves” out out of pit but everyone was in the pit of the Great Depression so couldn’t seen past that. Roosevelt saw that & used programs WPA & other programs to get the economy started & unfortunately with WWII get it fully running. Anyone from that era remember the war bonds to fund the war & so with the limited money that people got from WPA & other programs we couldn’t have funded the war too.
My partner, who is a political consultant, was interested in the first part of this, which covered Hoover's childhood and early efforts. I know less about any President than he does, so I was interested in the whole thing. Thank you for sharing your vast information!
My grandmother lived right next door to the Hoover Minthorn House that's a museum in Newberg Oregon. Where Hoover went to as a child when he became a orphan. My brothers and I gone to the museum a lot. I learned a lot about him then. Hoover park across the street... Sloppy hill with a small creek running through it. And I been told by my mother that the house is where she met my father.
When I studied at the School of Mines (WASM) in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia in the 90’s I lived in ‘Hoover Hall’ at the university accomodation Agricola College and had the chance to visit the mine at Gwalia just outside Leonora in the Goldfields where Hoover had worked. Great to learn more about this interesting man.
Interestingly, my great great grandfather Albert Abbott actually met with Hoover during World War One. The two met as part of a program meant to help the US set up patriotic fund raising groups after they entered the war in 1917. Albert had been working for the Red Cross and Ontario government as an organizer of such groups since 1915, so he was sent as part of a group of experts to meet with Hoover.
Could you do a biography on Theodore Roosevelt's irrepressible daughter Alice Roosevelt Longworth? From being "America's Princess " she went on to become a Washington D.C. power broker, and became known as "Washington's other Monument "
Herbert Hoover is one of those guys who never gets credit for the good he did and gets regularly blamed for things beyond his control. While the late 1920's economy probably could have benefited from more regulation in retrospect, Hoover couldn't have known that at the time. His early presidency enjoyed a massive economic boom, and he was probably perfectly comfortable letting things be. The start of the Great Depression would have destroyed the career and made a fool of any president who had been in office at the time--Hoover was just the guy who got handed the hot potato last.
@@lordrayden3045 While that's easy to say in retrospect, it's pretty clear that nobody in the Hoover administration realized just how bad things were going to get. He had bad advisors and was way too insulated from what the public was experiencing. We take the influence of the modern media on the actions of politicians for granted, but 1929 was a very different time.
@@generalkenobi5533 Of it was a recession I’d tend to agree However, it was a depression, look at the stats brought up in the video, this wasn’t a passing thing. This wasn’t going to go away
In a similar fashion the 2008 crash killed New Labour despite their rather doomed enthusiasm for the free market, from which the party still hasn't recovered today. Brown got the hot potato then Ed then Jezza then Keeves.
@@lordrayden3045 That was part of the problem - it wasn't immediately clear how bad the situation was. You're still looking at the situation with the benefit of hindsight, but keep in mind that when the crash happened, many economists thought it would blow over more easily. And once again, Hoover clearly had bad advisors. It's so easy to backseat drive on decisions made 92 years ago, but they didn't have real-time economic data available. You're assuming that Hoover knew how bad the situation was and didn't respond, but the rapid availability of information wasn't there.
You forgot other major things he did after his presidency. Hoover was brought in by Harry Truman to organize food relief in Europe after World War 2, due to the past experience you described. It was very successful. Under Truman the Hoover Commission was also created, to reorganize government. The reorganization continued under Hoover into the Eisenhower Presidency where the final implementation was the creation of the department of Health. But a HUGE thing that Hoover did for Truman was when Truman asked him to work out how many casualties America would have in the invasion of Japan. Hoover told him 500k to a million American deaths. Pretty big incentive for Truman to drop Atomic bombs.
T hank you isn't enough- my grandfather founded the Hoover Library and was a personal friend of Hoover's. So many people only associate him with negative things. You've done a great service to his legacy.💕
Honestly, I like Herbert Hoover, and the Herbert Hoover National site is one of my favorite historical parks because it’s so quaint. Right off I-80 10 miles east of Iowa City. More people should visit; it’s humbling to visit.
I just wanted to thank you for saying this, and I agree. My grandfather was the President of the Hoover Birthplace Foundation, and, as a very young child, I got to watch a lot of the Library being built. The main thing I remember is that there were these baby blue tiles I thought were really pretty, and my Garndpa gave me one (which, of course, is long lost)-LOL! I also was at Hoover's burial, and I remember the 21 gun salute, and my Grandfather holding his hat over his heart, with tears streaming down his face. You've brought back some wonderful and powerful memories, and I'm grateful to you for that, and for recognizing the beauty of the Hoover Library, birthplace, and park.💖
Roosevelt hated Hoover, and went out of his way to see that Hoover played no role in WWII, even when his advisors urged him to take advantage of Hoover's great administrative skills. It was Truman who brought Hoover back into service.
Roosevelt despised Hoover even getting the Hoover Dam named the Boulder Dam. It was Truman that called Hoover into service to administer the Marshall Plan.
It actually wasn't that uncommon for people to live to 80 plus back then, especially is you were a white male and someone of any means and had access to healthcare. When you look at average lifespan it's just that an average. When he was born the infant mortality rate was extremely high at 10% and once medical professionals began to learn more about how germs played a role in people getting sick and dying along with vaccines in the late 19th century people were no longer dying at very young ages from things like smallpox, chickenpox, or rubella. By the time he passed away the infant mortality rate was down to roughly 4% and vaccinations were required in schools so the expected lifespan began to rise.
@@rackroll4405 You don't have to be one. It's common sense. You cut taxes to the rich and they won't spend. They will wait to invest. You really don't know what you're talking about.
Please do a MegaProjects on the Holodomor and Stalin's agrarian reforms in the Ukraine. Hell hath no fury like a government bureaucrat with a 5 year plan....
Or a biography on Gareth Jones, the only reporter to accurately report the famine. Or a biography on Walter Duranty, the ignominious reporter for the New York Times who lied and denied it all, while working in Moscow.
As someone who has an obsession with Hoover, this video was fantastic. My only disappointment is that it didn't cover all the humanitarian work Hoover did after his presidency as well.
Poor guy failed to recognize that he was not an average person. His humility caused him to let people fend for themselves when they needed help the most. A tragedy
Hoover tried to apply a solution that he thought it would work as it worked before & worked with him but didn’t comprehend the huge difference of issues the Great Depression.
He also didn't have nearly the impoverished background implied here. Orphaned at 10, but his parents owned a business & his dad was a blacksmith. That's was a VERY good trade (think skilled mechanic, these days) The uncle he was sent to live with was a doctor who ALSO owned a business. I think it likely that Hoover himself believed he had pulled himself up by the bootstraps because of the hardships he endured. This seems to be VERY common in people who "succeed" They think they cracked the code & have the gameplan to get success. In reality, they can't even see how the circumstances of others differ. (It's like when you see articled about "young people" who "managed to buy a house on a single income" and the story is always that their parents paid the deposit or secured the mortgage or some such. Hell, there are PLENTY of "self made millionaires" who just HAPPENED to get a small loan of millions from their parents, ontop of a first class education & networking opportunities. Not suggesting that applies here, but Simon sure painted a vivid picture of some street urchin made good that does not resemble the facts I can verify)
Most of his policies or his predecessor policies doesn't work. They simply created a massive bubble that was going to burst. However honestly just got short end of the stick when that happened.
Thank you for this, as an American citizen- you're not taught this amount of detail in US History class. You're flung the basics, and then it's up to you to hope you can find enough unbiased sources to give you something of a round picture. Listening and watching your works is always a delight, because while you DO have your own bias- you always present the facts as well as you're able and let people decide how they want to think. This sort of content is the reason I subscribe and watch with interest.
Man, we learned almost nothing about this guy in school (and I went to high school in 3 different states including both coasts). I really wish we had because he was clearly a fascinating man who was, if anything, a very good man who couldn’t lead his country out of a very tough situation.
"Jimmy Cater" was not a bad President. The horrible and corrupt things that Reagan did during his time are still hurting the US (and other Central & South American countries) to this day. For the most part, he is revered in his home state of Georgia.
FDR had the ability to give people hope in his fireside chats even if their circumstances were not improving that much. My grandfather practically worshipped FDR. FDR did understand politics and people.
The mistake was to believe that operation excellence would automatically translate to strategic excellence. There is always this mustaken belief that someone who is good at one thing would necessarily be good at everything else. Someone who has sufficient insight into their personal strengths and weaknesses would not make that kind of mistake.
Thank you for discussing Jimmy Carter as a great man, but an ineffectual President! President Carter was so revered in my childhood as a great example that great humanitarians are normally horribly politicians.
As someone who does takes the very same approach in researching historical figures/events - I appreciate the "to be fair" mindset in doing these videos. It is the way history should be taught.
Back in Hoover's time, the federal government was rarely involved in items other than defense. It wasn't radical for Hoover to ask the states, and charities to assist the general population. FDR's policies were pretty radical. There have been big economic crisis , which lasted less than 6 years. A lot of FDR's policies actually prolonged the Great depression. But people believe that he was trying to help. How Hoover and FDR treated the Great depression, basically shifted people away from the political parties at the time.
Because while the Depression was going on, they were being helped, and they could survive. That the economy will be OK in a few months will mean nothing if you are starving now. You are not sure you will live to see it.
As an American, I can vouch that context like this is surely missing in our education. Following up on this, everything is true. It's sad that noon Americans know more about our history than us
Thank you for this. As a person who grew up in Iowa it was disheartening to know that the only president from Iowa was a failure. Thank you for showing he was not a failure but a great humanitarian. It was unfortunate that the end of his term brought him only disrespect because of events out of his control and an inability to see the big picture.
You could have also mentioned President Truman's bringing President Hoover back into public life, appointing to chair a commission that studied and made recommendations for the reorganization of the Federal government, most of whose recommendations were implemented. So, while Hoover had a disastrous presidency, he was still willing to re-enter public service.
Very well done! It reminds me of how the perspective on Harry S Truman has evolved over the years - from being the “strange little man” to being honored (way too late) as a great president and humanitarian.
You do realize that it is P.O.S.'s like Truman that allowed J. Edgar Hoover to invade the privacy of U.S. Citizens right? Truman was just as much a failure as T.D.R.; who could have prevented WWII if he hadn't been a Spineless Coward.
I've heard one economist say something along the lines that policies implemented by Hoover were beginning to see an upward trend in the economy, and that the Great Depression would have ended much sooner had FDR not implemented policies that extended it.
Hoover is the epitome of "respect the man but pan the president." Unfortunately, there are many people who come from nothing who can't understand why some people are simply unlucky even if they did everything right. It makes total sense, since Hoover's mindset and aptitude was exactly what gave him his success, but often these people cannot possibly fathom why others cannot do the same and thus make poor national leaders unless they're also aware.
I remember my tenth grade American History teacher saying a quote from Albert E. Smith about how, looking back, he felt about the election in 1928. Smith said something to the effect of “I feel like the person who missed his train that later derailed.” Not sure exactly when he said that, but it meant that at first, he was upset about losing the Presidency, but once the Depression hit, he was like “Well, maybe it was a good thing I didn’t win.”
I used to live near the house where he grew up. I told my friend one day as we were driving by that was where Herbert Hoover lived and he said "oh, the vacuum cleaner guy?". LOL!
All I was taught in school was his awful presidency. He was nothing like that. I now know he was a great humanitarian. I am a native Iowan and his hometown of West Branch, Iowa celebrates him every year. Maybe I should head over there and join them. Thank you Simon!
He made some major blunders. That being said FDR may well have made things much worse with his policies. What really got us out of the great depression, was trade with Great Britain because of ww2.
@@ThorfinnSkullsplitter-fz7ff Its not FDR's fault. He slowly helped end the depression. You cant just expect a crisis to end quickly. And no he was not using policies from Kenya and was not a facist
President Harding was, despite his moral failings, highly underrated. He did stop the Wilson Recession in its tracks by introducing the Budget. Under Harding, there was prosperity. [See The Incredible Era by S. H. Adams and America's Great Depression by M. Rothbard.] Hoover overlooked a resource to combat the Great Depression. It was under his nose when Lionel Edie published in a collection of Economic Papers of which Herbert Hoover and Irving Fisher made contributions to, Had Hoover paid attention to Fisher's paper and learned more about Fisher's Quantity Theory, it is arguable that Hoover would have been more competent to take on The Great Depression.
When it comes to US Presidents, now Simon has to cover, in order: Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Adams, Jackson, Van Buren, Harrison, Tyler, Polk, Taylor, Fillmore, Pierce, Buchanan, Lincoln, Johnson, Hayes, Garfield, Arthur, Cleveland, Harrison, McKinley, Taft, Wilson, Harding, Coolidge, Carter, Clinton, Obama and Biden.
In my opinion It was not only Genl MacArthur involved in the Bonus Army incident. Maj. George S. Patton was in charge of the cavalry. I still think it lead to years of animosity between them afterwards. This incident was tragic and a indication of how those 2 officers understood situations on the ground. It was nearly repeated on 10 June 2020, only difference is the USA had better trained military officers on the ground with a understanding of the word "Empathy"
I enjoyed this and learned a lot! I recently stumbled on the 1979 mini series Backstairs at the White House which has piqued my curiosity about different Presidents. Prior to this, my knowledge of Herbert Hoover was pretty much how he was depicted in the musical Annie when the people living in “Hooverville” tents/shanties sang the “ We’d like to thank you Herbert Hoover” song. 😀 Thanks for teaching both the good and bad of his presidency!
1:10 - Chapter 1 - The orphan 4:15 - Chapter 2 - The businessman 8:00 - Chapter 3 - The great humanitarian 12:05 - Chapter 4 - When the levee breaks 15:25 - Chapter 5 - The president 19:00 - Chapter 6 - The failure
Hoover was a failure as president but successful at being a humanitarian. Those four years should not completely define the man. His work saved millions of lives.
I'm interested, where do you get your music? There was a violin track near the middle when talking about the great depression that reminded me of red dead, and I would love to find and listen to it. EDIT: To be exact, 15:20.
Herbert Hoover "the great engineer". He was a humanitarian who, as fortune would have it, became president at exactly the wrong time. He did make some policy mistakes raising taxes because he was concerned about the nation's debt. And the Smoot Hawley tariffs were a disaster setting off a world wide trade war. These measures did contribute to the severity of the Great Depression. But the severity of the crash would have overwhelmed any president.
One small but admirable fact about hoover. During the 1928 election he refused to criticise Smith on the basis of his religion(He was the first Catholic to run for president). This is significant because smith's campaign was tarnished due to anti-Catholic views and lies that were believed by many US citizens at the time and hoover could have easily taken advantage of this but he didn't.
I think some people may have seen it as a continuation or another continuation of the noble experiment
Republican restraint is turned against us often, thus the one way ratchet of leftward drift.
@@tomfrazier1103have you been following the Republican Party? That restraint hasn’t existed for a long time, buddy.
As an American my general knowledge of Hoover was limited to a nearly blank index card that read "Hoovervilles." "Great Depression." "Vacuum cleaner name." Thanks for this!
And they promised us the world...
Not to mention the Hoover Dam
Ironically, he isn't related to the Hoovers who started the vacuum brand, at least to anyone's knowledge.
Same
He was a potential great president who was the wrong one for the time.
The most interesting thing about Hoover is that on paper he sounds like the perfect guy to be president during something like the great depression, yet in reality he struggled greatly to handle the situation like anyone else would.
I'm British and think what Hoover achieved needs to be taught in schools! We are often simply told that the American/British relationship is special, that we are like the older brother to America without really knowing why. The fact that so many Americans cut down on food to ensure we didn't starve is amazing!
All I can truly say is 'thank you' because I have no doubt my ancestors and the ancestors of my friends and family would have benefited from this in some way, shape or form.
🇺🇸🫱🏼🫲🏻🇬🇧
did'nt we pay for it or did america sell it to us cheap ?
@@billfurlong5954 a bit of both along with donations
"The second smart thing Harding did...was dying"
That caught me off guard🤣🤣🤣
It certainly was a timely death.
Best thing Hitler did was kill Hitler.
About as appetizing as drinking a bowl of dog vomit
It's true lol
Really that IS the only thing Harding was good for. I still think his wife killed him, though.
“Freedom is open window through which pours the sunlight of the human spirit and human dignity.”
Herbert Hoover
This man has a stunning talent for producing genuinely well researched subjects and presenting them in a riveting, gripping way. One of the greats on UA-cam.
Wow, this has to be one off the most interesting Biographics I've watched. What a crappy President but an absolutely amazing man. As an Australian all I learnt about him was his time in office, which honestly is an absolute blight on an otherwise massively inspirational life.
I always thought Hoover's greatest quote was at the end of his life he said " I outlived the bastards" .
As an American I really appreciate your balanced and nuanced presentation of our history, or anyone's for that matter. You and your team are great about that.
Cheers
me too
Ditto
It is interesting to note that Truman during the marshal plan sought the advice of Hoover to help with it
To be fair, he was the international star of humanitarian aid and its logistics.
@@jcsv12345 I know;it makes sense he was best for job
They were also the best of friends. I read a book that discussed the friendships of presidents and apparently Hoover cried when Truman called him for advice on how to help feed Europe post-WW2 because Hoover spent over a decade being slammed by Roosevelt and he really did love helping people.
When he called him in he said "No one knows more about feeding people than you"
Both he, and Nixon, would go on to advise future presidents. Nixon was sought after for advice by all the others after him, including Clinton.
I remember the documentary series, The Presidents, started the segment on Hoover thus:
"Before the Great Depression turned Herbert Hoover’s name into a synonym for Presidential failure, he was actually one of the most respected men in America. After the outbreak of WW1, Hoover had organised a relief effort that saved millions from starvation in war torn Belgium. He was later Food Administrator under Woodrow Wilson and Secretary of Commerce for both Harding and Coolidge.
"History has badly blighted his reputation because he had the huge misfortune of being in office during the Depression. Hoover was elected President in 1928 because he widely acknowledged as the most important public figure of the ensuing decade,"
It wasn't just because of the Depression its how he handled the crash of 29. He could have adverted all of it.
No, Hoover was a an abject failure; just like every other Socialist.
@@ligmasack9038 look up Hoover’s background, indeed, watch this video. He was no Socialist, he didn't believe in direct Government intervention to ward off the depression, instead relying on voluntarism, asking employers to voluntarily improve working conditions and wages
@@ligmasack9038 This is the most smooth-brained comment I've seen in a while
I suspect, in hindsight, Donald Trump might be looked on as being thoroughly average president (except for being a boorish ass) who, similarly, was the unfortunate victim of circumstance in 2020.
“Hoover deserves not to be remembered as a failed president but a man that saved millions.” You nailed it with that quote!
_The Great Depression was a Behemoth of such destructive force, that there was no president that could’ve survived it’s wrath._
Alas, as undeniable it may be the fact that perhaps Herbert Hoover as a president might’ve handled things somewhat better, it’s highly debatable that any other president it his place would’ve been able to do any better.
If it were possible it would be interesting to see what other strategies other presidents would've come up with but I doubt any of them would do much better given the times.
What we should also remember his that the POTUS is but one man. One man with a lot of power but still only one man. The economy is about what millions of men and women do or fail to do.
That's probably true, especially considering what an unprecedented event the Great Depression was. Sure, there had been other economic depressions before (both in the US and elsewhere), but none as severe or long-lasting, nor as international in scale. It was literally impossible for anyone to know how to respond. Literally anybody who was president when it started would've been doomed, and Hoover simply had the bad luck of being that man. If FDR had been president in 1929 and attempted the New Deal at that point, then by 1932 Americans would have been begging for someone like Hoover.
Just like Covid.
Biden would have had a plan. (LOL!)
The mentality during that point is that government only oversees and recuperate the components of the economy not to regulate and to interfere at all
I think it's genuinely humorous how BADLY Hoover got done by the circumstances he was in. He was a truly good man though, which is also sad because all people see is his failed Presidency.
And them naming the dam after him because they hated him so much
reminds me of jimmy carter...a good man, not such a good president
Hoover gets to much blame for the depression. The seeds of that depression were sown fifteen years before . The punishment of Germany being one of them buying stock at ten cents to a dollar , plus a crooked stock market when pump and dump was a normal occurrence. He tried to do things to help get the economy going . The tariff act was not smart . Thats when we needed the trade. He made mistakes , but until Congress got involved and passed much needed stock market reforms the economy limped along. You can blame Hoover for the start of the Depression, but the other eight years could be placed on FDRS doorstep.
@@dangreene9846 I disagree, I'd say Hoover simply was unable to grasp the severity of the situation and because of his self made background he placed the same expectations on the people of the day, while this was intended to inspire he failed to see that it wasn't simply a matter of inspiring the nation to overcome adversity but rather a failure of government to adapt to the situation. You can inspire an army to fight but if you send them to battle with sticks and stones against tanks and cannons they cannot possibly win. FDR was able to see that the depression wouldn't be solved by small state level legislation but by large federal reforms. Those kind of reforms aren't quick to take off but they do gain traction as time goes by.
@@brandonangstman What FDR did made no difference either . Dec 7 ended the depression.
It is interesting because when I learned about Hoover in high school American history that our teacher actually portrayed him very positively as a president who just got caught up in a really bad situation at the wrong time. (The same history teacher also told us that he felt that Richard Nixon had been pretty much railroaded and failed by his staff during Watergate.)
The one thing that I think this video exposes about Hoover is that he was really good when a crisis was blowing up around him but he really could not see the possibility of other problems occurring in the future. He was just one of those people who did well in the present when in the thick of things
I have always thought that if Nixon had been a Democrat, the Washington Post would have left him alone. LBJ did some illegal things and got away with them.
Nixon's private fears of failure deluded his judgment, leading to sketchy activity.
Well your teacher has 50% correctness
It seems like Hoover was a victim of the Peter Principle, people assumed that his great skill in coordinating humanitarian relief would translate into being a competent president.
There should be a variant of the Peter principle where the talents you falsified don't translate well to the job of president. Call it the Orange Rule.
He'd have been a fantastic postmaster general or secretary of state.
I agree! The coordinating got food to the needy, but the coordinating did not actually produce the produce, or gave birth to more livestock. Hoover could’ve moved a bale of hay for a cow, but he couldn’t give birth to a cow to feed the people.
His skill of organizing aid was to a limited area in Europe where we, in the USA & other parts world, could pitch in & help.
The Great Depression was worldwide issue which all countries where affected so there was no real help from outside so his personal experience thought one “lift themselves” out out of pit but everyone was in the pit of the Great Depression so couldn’t seen past that. Roosevelt saw that & used programs WPA & other programs to get the economy started & unfortunately with WWII get it fully running.
Anyone from that era remember the war bonds to fund the war & so with the limited money that people got from WPA & other programs we couldn’t have funded the war too.
If there is anything that forgives less than the Peter Principle I do not know what it is.
My partner, who is a political consultant, was interested in the first part of this, which covered Hoover's childhood and early efforts. I know less about any President than he does, so I was interested in the whole thing. Thank you for sharing your vast information!
A fair analysis of the man! Thanks Simon and company!
you should do Calvin Coolidge the most underrated president
Trash
One of top ten.
Calvin Coolidge was a good friend of mine
The best president.
@@NoahBrown69 you thinking of Calvin Cambridge... that’s like Mike
My grandmother lived right next door to the Hoover Minthorn House that's a museum in Newberg Oregon. Where Hoover went to as a child when he became a orphan. My brothers and I gone to the museum a lot. I learned a lot about him then. Hoover park across the street... Sloppy hill with a small creek running through it. And I been told by my mother that the house is where she met my father.
This goes to show how fast your reputation can crash and burn
When I studied at the School of Mines (WASM) in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia in the 90’s I lived in ‘Hoover Hall’ at the university accomodation Agricola College and had the chance to visit the mine at Gwalia just outside Leonora in the Goldfields where Hoover had worked. Great to learn more about this interesting man.
As an American I'm not convinced any of those places you just said are real places. 🤣🤣🤣 Lol jokes aside that's a whole bunch of mouthfuls there
Interestingly, my great great grandfather Albert Abbott actually met with Hoover during World War One. The two met as part of a program meant to help the US set up patriotic fund raising groups after they entered the war in 1917. Albert had been working for the Red Cross and Ontario government as an organizer of such groups since 1915, so he was sent as part of a group of experts to meet with Hoover.
Really eye opening video. Like most, I only knew the negative side of his life. Thank you.
Could you do a biography on Theodore Roosevelt's irrepressible daughter Alice Roosevelt Longworth? From being "America's Princess " she went on to become a Washington D.C. power broker, and became known as "Washington's other Monument "
Ugh, please don't. She's horrible and overrated.
@@NerdilyDone She was a monster to Eleanor
Herbert Hoover is one of those guys who never gets credit for the good he did and gets regularly blamed for things beyond his control. While the late 1920's economy probably could have benefited from more regulation in retrospect, Hoover couldn't have known that at the time. His early presidency enjoyed a massive economic boom, and he was probably perfectly comfortable letting things be. The start of the Great Depression would have destroyed the career and made a fool of any president who had been in office at the time--Hoover was just the guy who got handed the hot potato last.
Or….. ya know…… do something
@@lordrayden3045 While that's easy to say in retrospect, it's pretty clear that nobody in the Hoover administration realized just how bad things were going to get. He had bad advisors and was way too insulated from what the public was experiencing. We take the influence of the modern media on the actions of politicians for granted, but 1929 was a very different time.
@@generalkenobi5533
Of it was a recession I’d tend to agree
However, it was a depression, look at the stats brought up in the video, this wasn’t a passing thing.
This wasn’t going to go away
In a similar fashion the 2008 crash killed New Labour despite their rather doomed enthusiasm for the free market, from which the party still hasn't recovered today. Brown got the hot potato then Ed then Jezza then Keeves.
@@lordrayden3045 That was part of the problem - it wasn't immediately clear how bad the situation was. You're still looking at the situation with the benefit of hindsight, but keep in mind that when the crash happened, many economists thought it would blow over more easily. And once again, Hoover clearly had bad advisors. It's so easy to backseat drive on decisions made 92 years ago, but they didn't have real-time economic data available. You're assuming that Hoover knew how bad the situation was and didn't respond, but the rapid availability of information wasn't there.
Well, Archie and Edith seemed to like him, since they could use a man like Herbert Hoover again
Brilliant. I’ve always been a Hoover fan. JFK actually brought Hoover in for consultation whilst designing the Peace Corps.
You forgot other major things he did after his presidency. Hoover was brought in by Harry Truman to organize food relief in Europe after World War 2, due to the past experience you described. It was very successful. Under Truman the Hoover Commission was also created, to reorganize government. The reorganization continued under Hoover into the Eisenhower Presidency where the final implementation was the creation of the department of Health. But a HUGE thing that Hoover did for Truman was when Truman asked him to work out how many casualties America would have in the invasion of Japan. Hoover told him 500k to a million American deaths. Pretty big incentive for Truman to drop Atomic bombs.
T hank you isn't enough- my grandfather founded the Hoover Library and was a personal friend of Hoover's. So many people only associate him with negative things. You've done a great service to his legacy.💕
Honestly, I like Herbert Hoover, and the Herbert Hoover National site is one of my favorite historical parks because it’s so quaint. Right off I-80 10 miles east of Iowa City. More people should visit; it’s humbling to visit.
I just wanted to thank you for saying this, and I agree. My grandfather was the President of the Hoover Birthplace Foundation, and, as a very young child, I got to watch a lot of the Library being built. The main thing I remember is that there were these baby blue tiles I thought were really pretty, and my Garndpa gave me one (which, of course, is long lost)-LOL! I also was at Hoover's burial, and I remember the 21 gun salute, and my Grandfather holding his hat over his heart, with tears streaming down his face. You've brought back some wonderful and powerful memories, and I'm grateful to you for that, and for recognizing the beauty of the Hoover Library, birthplace, and park.💖
No mention of all of the relief work he did after WWII. He did the same as he did after WWI. Roosevelt called him into service before his death.
Roosevelt hated Hoover, and went out of his way to see that Hoover played no role in WWII, even when his advisors urged him to take advantage of Hoover's great administrative skills. It was Truman who brought Hoover back into service.
Roosevelt despised Hoover even getting the Hoover Dam named the Boulder Dam. It was Truman that called Hoover into service to administer the Marshall Plan.
11:16 "The second smart thing Harding did... well that was dying."
Jesus Christ, Simon. The savagery.
I’m surprised Herbert Hoover lived as long as he did, especially the time he lived in.
He drank the blood of virgins
It actually wasn't that uncommon for people to live to 80 plus back then, especially is you were a white male and someone of any means and had access to healthcare. When you look at average lifespan it's just that an average. When he was born the infant mortality rate was extremely high at 10% and once medical professionals began to learn more about how germs played a role in people getting sick and dying along with vaccines in the late 19th century people were no longer dying at very young ages from things like smallpox, chickenpox, or rubella. By the time he passed away the infant mortality rate was down to roughly 4% and vaccinations were required in schools so the expected lifespan began to rise.
its not like he lived in the middle ages or something
I remember him at the JFK presidential inauguration. He seemed like an ancient man from another age entirely.
Look at John Adams. He lived to be 90 himself. That's an impressive feat for a man of his time.
The general evaluation of Hoover is scarred unfairly. He won at a bad time.
100%. Imagine if he got the nomination in
1920 likely serves two terms and is considered a good/great President
@Al Miller the rich hire people.
@@rackroll4405
At what wages or salaries? You restart the economy by making sure the poor have money to spend.
@@bobfg3130 I am glad an economics expert chimed in.
@@rackroll4405
You don't have to be one. It's common sense. You cut taxes to the rich and they won't spend. They will wait to invest. You really don't know what you're talking about.
We’ll presented. Never thought I’d admire Hoover
Please do a MegaProjects on the Holodomor and Stalin's agrarian reforms in the Ukraine.
Hell hath no fury like a government bureaucrat with a 5 year plan....
Or a biography on Gareth Jones, the only reporter to accurately report the famine. Or a biography on Walter Duranty, the ignominious reporter for the New York Times who lied and denied it all, while working in Moscow.
Simon already did a video about the first five year plan.
Pal, 5 years plans are what made China what it is today.
@@Laura-S196 The Holodomor needs it's own presentation. Not enough people are aware of it.
@@bobfg3130 Well I guess there's always on in every box......
As someone who has an obsession with Hoover, this video was fantastic. My only disappointment is that it didn't cover all the humanitarian work Hoover did after his presidency as well.
Poor guy failed to recognize that he was not an average person. His humility caused him to let people fend for themselves when they needed help the most. A tragedy
Hoover tried to apply a solution that he thought it would work as it worked before & worked with him but didn’t comprehend the huge difference of issues the Great Depression.
He also didn't have nearly the impoverished background implied here.
Orphaned at 10, but his parents owned a business & his dad was a blacksmith. That's was a VERY good trade (think skilled mechanic, these days)
The uncle he was sent to live with was a doctor who ALSO owned a business.
I think it likely that Hoover himself believed he had pulled himself up by the bootstraps because of the hardships he endured. This seems to be VERY common in people who "succeed"
They think they cracked the code & have the gameplan to get success. In reality, they can't even see how the circumstances of others differ. (It's like when you see articled about "young people" who "managed to buy a house on a single income" and the story is always that their parents paid the deposit or secured the mortgage or some such. Hell, there are PLENTY of "self made millionaires" who just HAPPENED to get a small loan of millions from their parents, ontop of a first class education & networking opportunities. Not suggesting that applies here, but Simon sure painted a vivid picture of some street urchin made good that does not resemble the facts I can verify)
Most of his policies or his predecessor policies doesn't work. They simply created a massive bubble that was going to burst.
However honestly just got short end of the stick when that happened.
As always, great script, great research, and a great presenter!!
Thank you for this, as an American citizen- you're not taught this amount of detail in US History class. You're flung the basics, and then it's up to you to hope you can find enough unbiased sources to give you something of a round picture. Listening and watching your works is always a delight, because while you DO have your own bias- you always present the facts as well as you're able and let people decide how they want to think.
This sort of content is the reason I subscribe and watch with interest.
Man, we learned almost nothing about this guy in school (and I went to high school in 3 different states including both coasts). I really wish we had because he was clearly a fascinating man who was, if anything, a very good man who couldn’t lead his country out of a very tough situation.
"Jimmy Cater" was not a bad President. The horrible and corrupt things that Reagan did during his time are still hurting the US (and other Central & South American countries) to this day. For the most part, he is revered in his home state of Georgia.
Hoover was a great man and a caring and competent man. He just didn't understand politics.
FDR had the ability to give people hope in his fireside chats even if their circumstances were not improving that much. My grandfather practically worshipped FDR. FDR did understand politics and people.
I enjoyed this way more than I expected to and learned so much. This is why I always watch even when the subject doesn't grab me at first!
The mistake was to believe that operation excellence would automatically translate to strategic excellence. There is always this mustaken belief that someone who is good at one thing would necessarily be good at everything else. Someone who has sufficient insight into their personal strengths and weaknesses would not make that kind of mistake.
do you mean "mistaken"? Maybe work on basic Grammar before you make a non-sensical statement? LMFAO
Peter Principle. Unforgiving.
Thank you for discussing Jimmy Carter as a great man, but an ineffectual President! President Carter was so revered in my childhood as a great example that great humanitarians are normally horribly politicians.
Great presentation Simon. I knew nothing about Hoover and indeed he was a great humanitarian.
As someone who does takes the very same approach in researching historical figures/events - I appreciate the "to be fair" mindset in doing these videos. It is the way history should be taught.
Back in Hoover's time, the federal government was rarely involved in items other than defense. It wasn't radical for Hoover to ask the states, and charities to assist the general population. FDR's policies were pretty radical.
There have been big economic crisis , which lasted less than 6 years. A lot of FDR's policies actually prolonged the Great depression. But people believe that he was trying to help. How Hoover and FDR treated the Great depression, basically shifted people away from the political parties at the time.
Because while the Depression was going on, they were being helped, and they could survive. That the economy will be OK in a few months will mean nothing if you are starving now. You are not sure you will live to see it.
As an American, I can vouch that context like this is surely missing in our education. Following up on this, everything is true. It's sad that noon Americans know more about our history than us
How about a video on General Norman Schwarzkopf?
Even the concept of badassery can't understand General Norman Schwarzkopf
Thank you for this. As a person who grew up in Iowa it was disheartening to know that the only president from Iowa was a failure. Thank you for showing he was not a failure but a great humanitarian. It was unfortunate that the end of his term brought him only disrespect because of events out of his control and an inability to see the big picture.
Hoover: The depression will fix itself
The depression: *Hold my stock*
It actually would if you waited 10 years and did nothing.
@@claytonbenignus4688 Exactly
Rich guy, a self-made man more or less, who just couldn’t understand the vast breadth and depth of The Depression as it rolled out under his watch.
Well it certainly won’t fix itself if you pass smoot Hawley idiot
@@claytonbenignus4688 well wait 10 years for world War 2 and capitalized on US weapon manufacturers and pull economy out of depression.
Could you do one with John Nance "Cactus Jack" Garner? Sure, he may not be President, but he was the Vice President and he has a extraordinary life.
You could have also mentioned President Truman's bringing President Hoover back into public life, appointing to chair a commission that studied and made recommendations for the reorganization of the Federal government, most of whose recommendations were implemented. So, while Hoover had a disastrous presidency, he was still willing to re-enter public service.
Very well done! It reminds me of how the perspective on Harry S Truman has evolved over the years - from being the “strange little man” to being honored (way too late) as a great president and humanitarian.
You do realize that it is P.O.S.'s like Truman that allowed J. Edgar Hoover to invade the privacy of U.S. Citizens right? Truman was just as much a failure as T.D.R.; who could have prevented WWII if he hadn't been a Spineless Coward.
I've heard one economist say something along the lines that policies implemented by Hoover were beginning to see an upward trend in the economy, and that the Great Depression would have ended much sooner had FDR not implemented policies that extended it.
Please do a biographics video on John C. Fremont, Andrew Jackson or Woodrow Wilson
Truman took Hoover's skills and used them post WW2 in the Marshall plan.
Google is Simon's business daddy. Simon is our content daddy. There, I said it.
That was interesting. Thanks. I knew almost nothing about him. He deserves to be remembered.
Hoover is the epitome of "respect the man but pan the president." Unfortunately, there are many people who come from nothing who can't understand why some people are simply unlucky even if they did everything right. It makes total sense, since Hoover's mindset and aptitude was exactly what gave him his success, but often these people cannot possibly fathom why others cannot do the same and thus make poor national leaders unless they're also aware.
The U.S. Herbert Hoover was born it was way different by the time he died.
Great video (again) thank you. Who is 'Jimmy Cater' ?
I remember my tenth grade American History teacher saying a quote from Albert E. Smith about how, looking back, he felt about the election in 1928. Smith said something to the effect of “I feel like the person who missed his train that later derailed.” Not sure exactly when he said that, but it meant that at first, he was upset about losing the Presidency, but once the Depression hit, he was like “Well, maybe it was a good thing I didn’t win.”
"Dodged that bullet..."
When I hear hoover I was thinking about the vacuum cleaner 😂😂
Let's have a video on The Teapot Dome, FACTBOII!
I used to live near the house where he grew up. I told my friend one day as we were driving by that was where Herbert Hoover lived and he said "oh, the vacuum cleaner guy?". LOL!
All I was taught in school was his awful presidency. He was nothing like that. I now know he was a great humanitarian. I am a native Iowan and his hometown of West Branch, Iowa celebrates him every year. Maybe I should head over there and join them. Thank you Simon!
Thank you Simon. Can I expect to see one about myself in the near future? Keep up the excellent work!
Give us, emperor aurelian!
@@pajeirussaurio1405 ROMA VICTOR!
*R E S T I T V T O R O R B I S*
@9:04 now if you tried to have meatless Wednesday in today’s society you would have Karen’s asking for the manager and be called a racist lol
Just barely caught it at first, but you spelled Jimmy Carter's last name as Cater there at the end.
He made some major blunders. That being said FDR may well have made things much worse with his policies. What really got us out of the great depression, was trade with Great Britain because of ww2.
Lol, FDR actively copied Hoover's policies.....which is why the Depression lasted so long.
1930: Hoover says the worst is over
The Great Depression continues for an extra 10 years
Try learning history. Fascist FDR was much worse. He prolonged The Great Depression by 8 years. You can read the Stanford studies.
An extra 10 years thanks to Roosevelt and his Keynesian economic policies.
@@ThorfinnSkullsplitter-fz7ff Its not FDR's fault. He slowly helped end the depression. You cant just expect a crisis to end quickly. And no he was not using policies from Kenya and was not a facist
@@Snowboi1963 It's not Kenya...It's Keynes. John Maynard Keynes.
@@ThorfinnSkullsplitter-fz7ff Oh sorry. Who is that
Hoover is so…..smooth on that thumbnail
I firmly believe this channel will eventually have an episode for every human being who ever lived. I’m waiting for MY episode to come out
I grew up and went too school in West Branch Iowa.
President Harding was, despite his moral failings, highly underrated. He did stop the Wilson Recession in its tracks by introducing the Budget. Under Harding, there was prosperity. [See The Incredible Era by S. H. Adams and America's Great Depression by M. Rothbard.]
Hoover overlooked a resource to combat the Great Depression. It was under his nose when Lionel Edie published in a collection of Economic Papers of which Herbert Hoover and Irving Fisher made contributions to, Had Hoover paid attention to Fisher's paper and learned more about Fisher's Quantity Theory, it is arguable that Hoover would have been more competent to take on The Great Depression.
When it comes to US Presidents, now Simon has to cover, in order: Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Adams, Jackson, Van Buren, Harrison, Tyler, Polk, Taylor, Fillmore, Pierce, Buchanan, Lincoln, Johnson, Hayes, Garfield, Arthur, Cleveland, Harrison, McKinley, Taft, Wilson, Harding, Coolidge, Carter, Clinton, Obama and Biden.
Arthur should be interesting (machine political boss turned ultra-reformer) and McKinley as well.
We love you, Simon.
In my opinion
It was not only Genl MacArthur involved in the Bonus Army incident. Maj. George S. Patton was in charge of the cavalry. I still think it lead to years of animosity between them afterwards.
This incident was tragic and a indication of how those 2 officers understood situations on the ground.
It was nearly repeated on 10 June 2020, only difference is the USA had better trained military officers on the ground with a understanding of the word "Empathy"
Biographies could you do an episode on Jon Morrissey. He was the first American mob boss, and a Very interesting character.
No
@@lemao366 why not
@@theguyishere249 I just felt like going against the norm. Nothing personal but if you feel strongly about it then yes. Thank you son
Could you please do a bio on Ip Man? Thank you :)
hahaha there are 4 movies you can watch......i kid of course
🤣😭😭 And then Pootie Tang
I enjoyed this and learned a lot! I recently stumbled on the 1979 mini series Backstairs at the White House which has piqued my curiosity about different Presidents. Prior to this, my knowledge of Herbert Hoover was pretty much how he was depicted in the musical Annie when the people living in “Hooverville” tents/shanties sang the “ We’d like to thank you Herbert Hoover” song. 😀
Thanks for teaching both the good and bad of his presidency!
1:10 - Chapter 1 - The orphan
4:15 - Chapter 2 - The businessman
8:00 - Chapter 3 - The great humanitarian
12:05 - Chapter 4 - When the levee breaks
15:25 - Chapter 5 - The president
19:00 - Chapter 6 - The failure
Hoover was a failure as president but successful at being a humanitarian. Those four years should not completely define the man. His work saved millions of lives.
Maybe you should do a Biographics on me
11:30 Hey that’s me
Or even me !!!
Seriously. Coolidge is long overdue
I think you will be next.
Jimmy Cater? Lol 22:51
Oh yeah been waiting for this one
Excellent analysis, Simon, really good.
I'm interested, where do you get your music? There was a violin track near the middle when talking about the great depression that reminded me of red dead, and I would love to find and listen to it.
EDIT: To be exact, 15:20.
Jimmy Carter not Cater. Otherwise I found the video fascinating. Thank you. How about a video about his wife.
After watching this video;
Me: Hoover Daaaaaaaammmmmmnnnnn!
Herbert Hoover "the great engineer". He was a humanitarian who, as fortune would have it, became president at exactly the wrong time. He did make some policy mistakes raising taxes because he was concerned about the nation's debt. And the Smoot Hawley tariffs were a disaster setting off a world wide trade war. These measures did contribute to the severity of the Great Depression. But the severity of the crash would have overwhelmed any president.
Daaaamn. That thumbnail makes him look like the "Great Depression"
YES! I was thinking the left side looked Dr. Evil-esque and the right more like Lenin (the eyes) meets an Oompa Loompa (the tone).
@@hilarymol6607 hahahahahahahahahahaha 😭
One more thing. Stanford is a beautiful campus and to live there you have to have some scratch/money
Thank you for this! I hope the people can see his good as man and humanitarian, etc.
What I don't know once more pointed out by you. Thankfully.😍