Compare how FDR and Reagan responded to the economic crisis during their presidencies. How are their responses similar? How are they different? Do you think their policies were effective? Is there anything you would do differently?

Although Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan were members of the same political party, the two Republican presidents held widely differing political and economic philosophies. This is understandable though due to the essential reversal of roles for the Democratic and Republican parties surrounding the actions of party leaders during the 1930s and 1940s, chiefly led by the conservative sentiment President Roosevelt was leading the country to be dependent on government assistance as opposed to being led by the classic American dream. The root of both of these ideologies is based, for conservative thought, in the belief that the only way to truly be propelled out of poverty or any undesirable situation is to fix the problem mainly by oneself, and for liberal thought, in the belief that man has made government in order to fill the gaps in life that an individual can not fill by him/herself and as such, assistance from the government is the entire point of having the system. The two men made multiple speeches on the topic of economics, and attempted to influence not just the economic system of America, but also the national perception of how the country’s economy should operate. Ideas, applied or not, such as the New Deal, and Trickle Down Economics will forever be associated with the two presidents. Looking back at their policies and beliefs leads way to a greater discussion than one on the proper economic system of the country, it brings about the question of exactly how much action should the federal government take in the lives of American citizens, and to what benefits do government actions lead?

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