Who was President during the Great Depression?

While Franklin D. Roosevelt is widely associated with the Great Depression due to his New Deal policies that aimed to promote economic recovery, it is important to recognize that Herbert Hoover was actually the President when the Great Depression began in 1929. Hoover's administration faced the onset of the economic crisis and his responses are often evaluated as ineffective by historians.

Roosevelt took office in 1933, and his strategies significantly reshaped the federal government's role in the economy, focusing on relief for the unemployed, economic recovery, and financial reform. His actions, such as creating social safety nets and regulating industries, played a crucial role in alleviating the hardships caused by the Great Depression and restoring public confidence.

The other options, Dwight D. Eisenhower and Harry S. Truman, were Presidents after the Great Depression had ended, making their relevance to this specific period limited. Truman succeeded Roosevelt and furthered some of FDR's policies, while Eisenhower's presidency occurred in the post-war boom era, largely focused on Cold War issues rather than the Great Depression itself. Understanding this context emphasizes Roosevelt's critical involvement during the crucial years of recovery from the Depression, marking his presidency as a pivotal turning point in American history.