The Election of Franklin D. Roosevelt for President

In November 1932, Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected President of the

United States of America. He had beaten his Republican opponent Hoover

with 89% of the electoral votes to 11%. Roosevelt also gained 22.8

million popular votes to Hoover's 15.8 million. For Roosevelt to be

elected into his presidential role, it had taken several events and

reasons for Roosevelt to reach that position.

The previous presidential elections to 1932 were in 1928. 1928 had

been a completely different climate to 1932, the 1920s in America were

seen as extremely 'prosperous' and the economy was 'booming'. The

unemployment rate stood at 3.7% until 1929. Working hours had

decreased to an average of 44 hours a week, whereas wages of the

industrial workers had risen by 14%. Industrial production rose by

50%, and the GNP stood at almost $104 billion. The people of America

were also spending more time and money on entertainment. The 1920s

were also a good decade for cinema, and 80 million tickets were being

sold weekly.

With all the prosperity, people had little reason to complain. The

current government, run by Herbert Hoover a Republican, adopted a

policy of no interference with America's economy, called

laissez-faire. The government did however; introduce policies that

affected the economy. Tax reductions was one example, the reductions

mainly benefited the wealthy. Also as the government had few personnel

to enforce regulations, many businesses were left to carry on with

their business as they pleased. These policies satisfied many and gave

them no reason to have any problem with the government's running of

the country. The laissez-faire policy was a ...

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...d have meant the end for a public life; instead he

made the effort to rebuild his body and continued with his work.

Roosevelt was elected in 1932, due to his own work and reputation for

promising relief programmes that suggested that he was the support and

aid the country needed. His reputation helped him get elected due to

the current state of the country and it's running. Hoover's policies

and attitude had made him the right person for President in 1928, but

after the economic disaster that affected the whole world struck, he

was completely wrong for the American recovery. Roosevelt being the

opposite of Hoover made him the right choice.

When he was elected President, Roosevelt flew over to Chicago and

accepting his nomination, with the words "I pledge you, I pledge

myself, to a new deal for the American people".