Who was the President at the start of the Great Depression? A - Dwight D. Eisenhower
B - Herbert Hoover
C - Harry S. Truman
D - Theodore Roosevelt
Answer: B - Herbert Hoover Herbert Hoover became President in 1929, mere months before the stock market crash that began the Great Depression. Though many factors contributed to the crash, Hoover took much of the blame and criticism as he struggled to rally federal power to ease the financial crisis. He was often viewed as insensitive to the plight of the American people, and lost the 1932 election to Franklin D. Roosevelt.
In keeping with these principles, Hoover’s response to the crash focused on two very common American traditions: He asked individuals to tighten their belts and work harder, and he asked the business community to voluntarily help sustain the economy by retaining workers and continuing production.