Saw an Unprecedented Wave of European Immigration

saw an unprecedented wave of European immigration during the late nineteenth century and this reflected positively on fields like industry and agriculture, taking into account that it provided a significant labor base and that it seriously increased the number of people in the urban environment. Cities rapidly enlarged as a consequence and it became obvious that technology was going to progress quickly in the era. One can actually claim that immigration, industrial progress, and agricultural progress created a vicious chain. People came into the U.S. because it provided them with jobs and with the opportunity to improve their condition while the agriculture and the industry grew and thus demanded more working hands.

The railroad network expanded rapidly during these years and provided individuals with the opportunity to travel farther to the West and settle in areas previously considered unattractive. Although it is somewhat difficult to claim this, it is only safe to assume that immigration, industrial progress, and agricultural progress made it possible for the U.S. To become one of the most powerful nations in the world at the beginning of the twentieth century.

The fact that European immigrants were coming from areas that previously had little to do with the U.S. meant that the U.S. was becoming even more diverse and that innovative thinking was probable to emerge as a consequence. "The majority of these immigrants settled in the cities of the Northeast and Midwest, where they took jobs as unskilled factory workers and at the same time dramatically changed the ethnic makeup of urban America" (Late Nineteenth- and Early Twentieth-Century Economic Trends). Inventions such as the refrigerated railroad car made it possible for individuals in the U.S. To transport perishable products, thus contributing to improving living conditions in the country.

Herbert Hoover was unwilling to acknowledge that the U.S. experienced great financial problems during the late 1920s and hesitated to get actively involved in revitalizing the economy. In contrast, Franklin Delano Roosevelt focused on improving the situation with the little tools he had available to do so. It is very probable that the U.S. would have suffered less as a result of the Great Depression if Hoover were to understand that conditions were critical and if he realized that it was the government's job to help the poor. Moreover, Hoover believed that the depression originated in foreign countries and that by expressing little interest in securing the country's economy he would manage to improve conditions in the country.

One can even claim that Hoover was more conservative and that he feared the risks associated with taking innovative actions. In contrast FDR realized that innovation was one of the only solutions that the U.S. had left and that it was essential for him to focus on assisting Americans recover. Through using the government as a tool to assist the people in recovering their jobs FDR believed that he would stabilize conditions in the country. Hoover initially believed that it would be pointless for him to urge the government to get involved in assisting the masses. "Hoover further believed that during hard times the government should adopt austerity measures, that is, cut spending even further" (Part II: War, Depression and War, 1914-1945).