Final answer:
Herbert Hoover's strategy involved minimal intervention and a belief in rugged individualism, later implementing programs like the RFC. Roosevelt, contrasting Hoover, projected optimism and introduced expansive New Deal programs for recovery.
Step-by-step explanation:
Herbert Hoover and Franklin D. Roosevelt had contrasting strategies for addressing the Great Depression. Hoover focused on a principle of rugged individualism and minimal government intervention. He believed that self-help and private charity were the correct responses to the crisis. However, facing severe economic downturns, he implemented measures such as expanding public works programs and creating the Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC) to issue loans to businesses, albeit these actions were viewed as inadequate.
On the other hand, Roosevelt approached the Great Depression with a sense of optimism and change, successfully conveying a feeling of possibility to the American public. His election campaign focused on unifying the Democratic Party rather than presenting detailed plans against Hoover's policies. Once in office, his administration, while initially sharing some of Hoover's conservative views on welfare, rapidly adapted and introduced large-scale governmental intervention, famously known as the New Deal. This approach included a variety of programs aimed at providing direct relief, economic recovery, and financial reforms.