HIS271Y1 Lecture : The Great Depression and the New Deal
Document Summary
1928 election between al smith and herbert hoover. smith, democrat, was a 4 time governor of new york, liberal in his thinking, very urban, catholic, decedent of german/irish/italian, came to embody the modern side of the us (the side that emphasized change, difference, foreign, urban, etc. ) hoover represented more of a traditional side, came from a rural quaker background, believed in industry, thrift, and self-reliance. he wanted free enterprise and small government and was what one may call a businessman"s candidate he wanted to balance federal regulation without direct intervention. In the election itself, hoover won by a landslide. smith, because of his background and accent, threatened the traditional american identity and made him unappealing. The election thus reflected the split in american society urban vs. rural, traditional vs. modern, wet vs. dry. but while hoover won, it didn"t resolve these debates.
