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The shattered dream: Herbert Hoover and the Great Depression

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Herbert Hoover was probably the most qualified person ever to hold the office of President of the United States. Unfortunately, and for reasons beyond his control, he was saddled with the Great Depression soon after his term began. Later demonized by Franklin Delano Roosevelt and other Democrats, it should be remembered that he did everything in his power to relieve the effects of the Great Depression -- except that he would not consent to a federal dole. Gene Smith does an excellent job of rehabilitating Hoover's image. Serious students of history should read the book.

The Shattered Dream by Gene Smith is, in this reader's estimation, a balanced and objective account of Herbert Hoover presidency, the Depression, the 1932 election and the ascend of Franklin Roosevelt. I have read several books recently were Hoover is portrayed as either indifferent or just plain heartless to the plight of the country during the economic collapse or as someone completely out of touch with reality. I can assure you this book does not overlook Hoover's failings but it also presents an objective account of his commendable life story and his humanitarian efforts in Europe after World War I. Another issue covered extensively is the Bonus March by WWI veterans and the controversial attack on them by Douglas MacArthur and the Army. If for nothing else that story make this book worth reading. Again this is the first book I have read where Hoover is not demonized and Roosevelt canonized.

Author Smith read extensively from period magazines and newspapers and uses his research to enliven his text. We learn that children chanted; "Mellon pulled the whistle - Hoover rang the bell - Wall Street gave the signal - And the country went to hell".

Some other noteworthy comments from the book:
· On August 11, 1928 in front of 75,000 people at Stanford stadium Hoover accepted the nomination as the Republican candidate for president. A quote from his speech that day would haunt him and the country for years to come: "We in America today are nearer to the final triumph over poverty than ever before in the history of the land. The poor house is vanishing from among us...with the help of God we will be within sight of the day when poverty will be banished from this nation".

· The defeated Democratic nominee for Vice President in 1920 stated the Hoover was "an wonder" and expressed the fervent hope that Hoover would be president some day. "There could not be one better," Roosevelt said. It should be noted that both Hoover and Roosevelt served in the Wilson administration and became close friends and their wives got along very well!

· During the presidential campaign of 1932 the republican Hoover made the required stop in Illinois to visit Lincoln's tomb and his supporters urged the crowd "not to change horses in the middle of the stream". Roosevelt supporters in the crown jeered "don't change barrels when going over Niagara" and "don't change engineers in the middle of a train wreck".
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The uncomfortable truths concerning our Presidents usually do not conform to popular cultural myths. This 1971 book is worth reading by individuals interested in a nuanced perspective of the Depression and Hoover's presidency.

Herbert Hoover was probably the smartest and most able of the American Presidents (a distinction he shares with Clinton). His Presidency will go down as one of the worst. Why? The Great Depression hit the country soon after Hoover took office, and despite tremedous efforts by the President, extended throughout his term. Smith details the rise of Hoover and his administration during these four years. I think he is fair on how Hoover and his administration tried to cope with the Great Depression. He also details the rise of FDR and gives both positive and negative stories about him. For instance, Roosevelt failed to cooperate when he was President Elect with Hoover in trying to shore up the banking system when so many banks were failing. Up to the moment he left office Hoover tried to serve the American people, while Roosevelt played politics and let huge banks fail.
This is a good portrait of the Hoover Administration. Smith details quite a bit about the Hoover Administration and the 1932 Presidential Election, but he is short on early material about Hoover. Altogether a good read about a well meaning man and the Great Depression.

This is an amazing, tragic story that makes clear the magnitude of what this nation is facing now. Even FDR had said of Hoover, "We must see that this man becomes President. There could be none finer." How it all went wrong suggests how we might escape a similar fate.

I picked up this book at the local public library to learn a little more about Hoover. This book won't tell you much about the Great Depression - it was disappointing in that aspect. It will tell you a lot about Hoover's early life, career, and especially his attitudes that shaped some of his decisions.

Beyond that, this book is mostly a collection of anecdotes. The best ones are those that describe how Hoover was ridiculed by his opposition...some are hilarious.

Gene Smith obviously wanted to rehabilitate Hoover vis-a-vis FDR by portraying him as an extremely conscientious man who was brought down by political opponents and events beyond his control. He portrays FDR as an inexperienced political lightweight who really didn't understand the situation and only used it for political advantage. The section on the interregnum between the 1932 election and inauguration of FDR is interesting, but only told from Hoover's perspective, with FDR the clear "bad guy."

There were some interesting similarities between the events and rhetoric of the 1928 and 1932 elections and the 2008 one. This book is interesting reading for that and the anecdotes alone.

Still, the book is not very worthwhile history. It's written as an amalgam of biography and political narrative, which makes it kind of fun, but not useful. Smith uses a very narrow spectrum of sources, does not put the events in context, and inserts far too much unverified information (such as what Hoover was thinking at a particular time - which he appears to glean magically from newspaper reports). There are far better books to learn about Hoover and the Great Depression.