The Great Depression: Causes and how the New Deal prolonged the Depression.

When Herbert Hoover was inaugurated as the thirty-first President of the United States early in 1929, the nation was enjoying unprecedented prosperity. But by the end of the year, the stock market had crashed and the country was headed for the Great Depression. President Hoover tried to fight the Great Depression, but as he neared the end of his term, the American economy was in its worst state yet, and many fearful citizens wanted a leader …

…criticism for its great cost and inefficiency. By 1939, after six years of government job programs, regulation, and deficit spending, over 9 million workers remained unemployed. The New Deal had done little to help the economy, and in many ways, had even prolonged the Depression. FDR's New Deal program laid the foundation for a social welfare state by expanding over business, industry, and agriculture, and by making many Americans dependent on the government for their daily needs.