Question

In 3–5 sentences, describe the Hoover administration's initial response to the Great Depression. Choose 2 examples.

Answer 1

Hoover's initial response stressed voluntarism and limited federal intervention: he urged businesses not to cut wages and asked private charities and state and local governments to expand relief rather than providing direct federal aid. As a second example, he used targeted federal tools to steady key sectors—most notably creating the Federal Farm Board (1929) to buy surpluses and support agricultural prices and promoting public-works projects (for example, the Boulder/Hoover Dam) to create jobs. Critics argued these steps were too cautious and too small to stop the deepening Depression.