America has had many economic difficulties, but nothing comes close to the sustained, deep troubles of the Great Depression. Republican President Herbert Hoover tried to address problems one way, Democratic President Franklin Roosevelt tried to address problems another way, and various other figures called for other solutions, some of them radical and even violent.
Using material from your readings:
- Compare one official response (either the Hoover administration’s OR the Roosevelt administration’s) to one of the more extremist responses. In your comparison, summarize the two responses that you are choosing to address and critique the value of these responses. (Remember, in an academic setting, critiquing is not the same as being overtly critical.)
- In addition, explain your own thoughts on how government should—or should not—address economic problems in today’s society.
