1984 us history dbq

             A liberal favors modification and generally utilizes government involvement to promote social change. On the other hand, a conservative has a more traditional viewpoint and tends to oppose change. While President Hoover is commonly thought of as a conservative and President Roosevelt a liberal, the disarray and the status of the nation gave them no time to decipher their tendencies. It was through their recourse and reforms that we can now say these things all the while never fully knowing but never forgetting their predicament. In times where everything by which people have based their lives falls and crumbles to the ground. These people had to " watch the things you have given your life to, broken, and stoop and build them with worn out tools." When something, such as this has changed the times so immensely and brought the nation into a seemingly endless hole the only way to recover is to fill the hole back up or crawl out. While a liberal may promote change, change was the only option in these desperate times. Both Hoover and Roosevelt were preserving the country through alteration. Hoover changed to keep it the same, to keep the tradition, to conserve the nation. Roosevelt changed to make it better, to help the common man, to restore liberty. Thus, deriving the terms that Roosevelt was a liberal and Hoover a conservative.
             The nation had taken a devastating plunge in 1929, the Great Depression had struck, Hoover President at the time. The country was plummeting and Hoover held out his hand, although the people too scared to be saved let themselves fall deeper (Document D). Hoover believed that by giving the rich tax breaks and giving money to big businesses the money would eventually redistribute itself and "Trickle Down" from the top. By doing so people would keep their morale and with their character saved they would eventually gain their own ground. Hoover had reforms, his anti-depression strategies consisted of voluntary measures "Economic depression cannot be cured by legislative action or executive pronouncement The best contribution of government lies in encouragement of this voluntary cooperation of the community" (Document B).