Herbert Hoover: Beyond the Great Depression

National hero, American President, and... the man at the center of the Great Depression? Like most men of history, Herbert Hoover leaves a complex legacy.

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[hilarymol]

As an American my general knowledge of Hoover was limited to a nearly blank index card that read "Hoovervilles." "Great Depression." "Vacuum cleaner name." Thanks for this!

[LegendaryMercenary.]

I'm British and think what Hoover achieved needs to be taught in schools! We are often simply told that the American/British relationship is special, that we are like the older brother to America without really knowing why. The fact that so many Americans cut down on food to ensure we didn't starve is amazing!
All I can truly say is 'thank you' because I have no doubt my ancestors and the ancestors of my friends and family would have benefited from this in some way, shape or form.

[jamiecarroll]

One small but admirable fact about hoover. During the 1928 election he refused to criticise Smith on the basis of his religion(He was the first Catholic to run for president). This is significant because smith's campaign was tarnished due to anti-Catholic views and lies that were believed by many US citizens at the time and hoover could have easily taken advantage of this but he didn't.

[anonymousrex]

The most interesting thing about Hoover is that on paper he sounds like the perfect guy to be president during something like the great depression, yet in reality he struggled greatly to handle the situation like anyone else would.

[ethanramos]

“Freedom is open window through which pours the sunlight of the human spirit and human dignity.”
Herbert Hoover

[TheTeeroy]

Wow, this has to be one off the most interesting Biographics I've watched. What a crappy President but an absolutely amazing man. As an Australian all I learnt about him was his time in office, which honestly is an absolute blight on an otherwise massively inspirational life.

[andersoncruz]

“Hoover deserves not to be remembered as a failed president but a man that saved millions.” You nailed it with that quote!

[ak]

This man has a stunning talent for producing genuinely well researched subjects and presenting them in a riveting, gripping way. One of the greats on YouTube.

[SiVlog]

I remember the documentary series, The Presidents, started the segment on Hoover thus:

"Before the Great Depression turned Herbert Hoover’s name into a synonym for Presidential failure, he was actually one of the most respected men in America. After the outbreak of WW1, Hoover had organised a relief effort that saved millions from starvation in war torn Belgium. He was later Food Administrator under Woodrow Wilson and Secretary of Commerce for both Harding and Coolidge.
"History has badly blighted his reputation because he had the huge misfortune of being in office during the Depression. Hoover was elected President in 1928 because he widely acknowledged as the most important public figure of the ensuing decade, "

[aerialmacaroon]

It is interesting to note that Truman during the marshal plan sought the advice of Hoover to help with it

[spddracer]

As an American I really appreciate your balanced and nuanced presentation of our history, or anyone's for that matter. You and your team are great about that.

Cheers

[alexanderveritas]

_The Great Depression was a Behemoth of such destructive force, that there was no president that could’ve survived it’s wrath._

Alas, as undeniable it may be the fact that perhaps Herbert Hoover as a president might’ve handled things somewhat better, it’s highly debatable that any other president it his place would’ve been able to do any better.

[antoniocamacho]

"The second smart thing Harding did...was dying"
That caught me off guard🤣🤣🤣

[usayeed]

I think it's genuinely humorous how BADLY Hoover got done by the circumstances he was in. He was a truly good man though, which is also sad because all people see is his failed Presidency.

[roberthunter]

I've heard one economist say something along the lines that policies implemented by Hoover were beginning to see an upward trend in the economy, and that the Great Depression would have ended much sooner had FDR not implemented policies that extended it.

[shellcase]

It is interesting because when I learned about Hoover in high school American history that our teacher actually portrayed him very positively as a president who just got caught up in a really bad situation at the wrong time. (The same history teacher also told us that he felt that Richard Nixon had been pretty much railroaded and failed by his staff during Watergate.)

The one thing that I think this video exposes about Hoover is that he was really good when a crisis was blowing up around him but he really could not see the possibility of other problems occurring in the future. He was just one of those people who did well in the present when in the thick of things

[algini]

You forgot other major things he did after his presidency. Hoover was brought in by Harry Truman to organize food relief in Europe after World War 2, due to the past experience you described. It was very successful. Under Truman the Hoover Commission was also created, to reorganize government. The reorganization continued under Hoover into the Eisenhower Presidency where the final implementation was the creation of the department of Health. But a HUGE thing that Hoover did for Truman was when Truman asked him to work out how many casualties America would have in the invasion of Japan. Hoover told him 500k to a million American deaths. Pretty big incentive for Truman to drop Atomic bombs.

[terrencestuder]

My grandmother lived right next door to the Hoover Minthorn House that's a museum in Newberg Oregon. Where Hoover went to as a child when he became a orphan. My brothers and I gone to the museum a lot. I learned a lot about him then. Hoover park across the street... Sloppy hill with a small creek running through it. And I been told by my mother that the house is where she met my father.

[natwally]

When I studied at the School of Mines (WASM) in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia in the 90’s I lived in ‘Hoover Hall’ at the university accomodation Agricola College and had the chance to visit the mine at Gwalia just outside Leonora in the Goldfields where Hoover had worked. Great to learn more about this interesting man.

[thunderdeed]

I always thought Hoover's greatest quote was at the end of his life he said " I outlived the bastards" .