President Encyclopedia 1929-1953

President Encyclopedia 1929-1953 — page 5 — From Prosperity to War The more WOMEN at work the sooner we WIN Roosevelt wanted the government to get involved in the affairs of business and labor Unlike the Republicans he was suspicious of business He believed in the American economic system but he also thought that business was out for its own good and that the government should be the watchdog that looked out for ordinary people The War Presidency The vast number of government programs created during Roosevelt's first two terms as president in the 1930s increased the size and power of government But the biggest increase in presidential power came as a result of America's role in World War II WOMEN ARE NEEDED ALSO AS UNITED we are strong SEE YOUR LOCAL U S EMPLOYMENT SERVICE A war poster depicts a woman working in an airplane factory During the war the president became the commander of a vast military machine of 16 million men and women A gigantic bureaucracy in both the military and the civilian parts of the government was needed to run this machine By the time the war ended in 1945 a big military had become a permanent part of the structure of U S government As a result of the war the United States was now a major world power with global responsibilities And the American president was now one of the most powerful leaders on Earth UNITED we will win World War II posters such as this one by artist Henry Koerner promoted strength in the unity of the Allied countries

President Encyclopedia 1929-1953 — page 6 — From Prosperity to War 9 The Atomic Age A world-shaking development enhanced the power of the presidency in the early 1940s the invention of nuclear power President Roosevelt had authorized scientists to develop a nuclear bomb as part of America’s defenses during the war In 1945 his successor President Harry Truman decided to use the new discovery against the Japanese to force them to surrender Now the American president had the most powerful weapon in the world at his disposal Presidential power had reached unheard of heights Truman was the first and so far only American president to use nuclear weapons Each president since Truman has had a vast arsenal of nuclear weapons available But since 1945 American presidents have not used their nuclear weapons Potential enemies however remain aware that they exist The Great Depression and war converted the presidency from the office that it was in the 1920s when Calvin Coolidge worked only four hours a day and had time to take naps to what it is today a vast modern institution that presides over the American government and controls the most destructive groups of weapons known in human history Atomic bombs sent huge clouds into the sky as seen in the aerial photograph of this test explosion

President Encyclopedia 1929-1953 — page 7 — 10 Herbert Hoover Herbert Hoover Herbert Hoover Born August 10 1874 West Branch IA Herbert Hoover was one of the hardest working presidents the United States ever had His inauguration on March 4 1929 greeted him with joyous celebration by a nation at peace and at the height of prosperity Four years later Herbert Hoover left Washington D C a broken and bitter man defeated overwhelmingly for reelection and widely blamed for the events that had plunged the nation into a disastrous depression Millions of Americans were out of work and homeless hungry people roamed the country looking for jobs Hoover a man who had enjoyed nothing but success in everything that he had attempted previously presided over one of the unhappiest presidencies in American History Jowa West Branch Term March 4 1929 March 4 1933 Party Republican First Lady Lou Henry Hoover Vice President Charles Curtis Died October 20 1964 New York NY Vice President Charles Curtis

President Encyclopedia 1929-1953 — page 8 — Herbert Hoover 31st President of the United States

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