The Man, Herbert Hoover
President Herbert Hoover was the 31st
American President, who came into power in the year, 1929. It was during his
tenure that the firs major economic crunch, popularly known as the Great
Depression hit America and the rest of the West. What started like a mere
short-term economic challenge of a nation, eventually lasted for close a decade
with its attendant hardship and economic woes on the entire West and beyond. At
such a trying moment in the history of a nation, a political ingenuity from
President Hoover would not only have helped him win the people’s heart in his
quest for re-election, but would have also placed him among the American Greats
in the annals of American history.
This remains one of the greatest lessons
political leaders should learn, if they wish to keep their job as well as
remain credible and darling in the heart of their people.
When economic hardship, educational
decline, moral decadence, corruption, insecurity and terrorism and other
societal woes hit a nation, whoever be at the helm would be doing himself and
the society good by rising up to the challenge of curbing the menace, by every
means possible, and at all cost. Failure to do so may spell harm for such
administration. The truth is that when an administration fails to terminate any
political or economic woe; such political or economic woe would terminate that
administration.
The Great Depression In
Perspective
During the Great Depression of the
1930s, millions of people lost their jobs, savings, and homes. The hard times
lasted about ten years.
The Cause: Stock
Market Crash
The Great Depression began after the
stock market crashed in October 1929. During the 1920s, many Americans had
bought stocks—shares of ownership in companies. They hoped to make big profits,
and they borrowed money to buy stocks.
When the stock market crashed, stocks
lost their value. Some stocks became worthless. People who had put their money
in the stock market lost most of it. They still owed the money they had
borrowed to buy stocks. In just a few weeks, stocks lost $30 billion in value.
The Effect: Years Of
Hardship
By 1933, the worst year of the Great
Depression, about 15 million Americans were out of work. This was about
one-fourth of the American workforce. People who had jobs had to work for less
money.
People who were unemployed could not
afford to buy goods (things for sale). So factories and mills that made
goods shut down, and more people lost their jobs. The Great Depression grew
worse.
People who had no jobs couldn’t pay
their mortgages (loans to buy homes). They lost their homes. Homeless
people slept in parks, under bridges, and in sewer pipes during the Great
Depression.
Bank Failures
Many banks lost money when people could
not repay bank loans. Some banks failed (went out of business). People
who had put their money in those banks lost their savings. By 1933, about 5,000
banks had failed.
The Response: What Did
President Hoover Do?
United States president Herbert Hoover
did little to fight the Great Depression. He believed that the depression was a
natural part of doing business. He thought it would end in a year or two.
At that time, the government didn’t help
homeless and unemployed people. As the depression grew worse, many Americans
blamed Hoover for not doing more to end it.
The Reaction: Voters
Choose A New Deal
In 1932, Franklin D. Roosevelt won the
election for president by a huge vote.
As soon as Roosevelt took office, he
began sending new laws to Congress. The laws created many new government
agencies. The agencies provided jobs for people. They also helped farmers,
banks, and factories. Roosevelt called his programs to end the Great Depression
the New Deal.
Roosevelt’s leadership during the Great
Depression helped make him one of America’s most-loved presidents.
The Result: End Of The
Depression
World War II (1939-1945) ended the great
depression. American factories began producing military supplies for countries
that were at war with Germany and Japan. Millions of Americans went to work in
the factories.
The Lesson: Discover A
Problem and Solve It!
The best way to be relevant as a leader
among people is to discover their most pressing need and challenges, and
manfully go all the way to proffer the needed solution; otherwise you’ve goofed
as a leader, irrespective of your best intention.
If a nation is going through security
challenges, it would be foolhardy for a leader to pursue industrialization on
the expense of security of lives and property. If a leader plays such folly, he
has given his opponents a campaign tool.
At whatever level of leadership, let us
learn from President Hoover’s mistake for good.
The
Realities on Ground
The greatest challenge facing Nigeria at
present is insecurity, in form of high level sophisticated and brazen force of
insurgency and terrorism, notably carried out by the dare-devil Boko-haramites
of this world. Thousands of lives have been wasted and tens of thousands
displaced within the six years of Boko-haram insurgency. Both local and
international voices are crying out, demanding for the government patriotic
commitment to save the lives of innocent Nigerian citizens. There is no doubt
the government is making efforts, but truth be told, these efforts are not
enough.
The President Goodluck Jonathan’s
administration has achieved so much in very many other areas of the national
life. However, whatever gains of these achievements have been overshadowed by
the losses necessitated by the insecurity state of the nation; thereby giving
the opposition, a ready campaign tool to oust the current administration from
office come May 29, 2009.
President Goodluck Jonathan
If only President Goodluck Jonathan
would realise that he has lost both fans and sympathy; and that it would not
sound incredible if he loses this year election to the opposition; not because
of non-performance index in key areas of the economy; but as a result of failure
to seize the moment, when it matters most; it would serve as a lesson well
learnt.
May other aspiring leaders of African
nations and the world at large learn this lesson for good!
0 comments: