1932

The New Deal coalition begins

Franklin Roosevelt won in a massive landslide over incumbent Herbert Hoover as the Great Depression devastated the nation. With 25% unemployment, Hoover was blamed for economic catastrophe and humiliated at the polls. Roosevelt promised a 'New Deal' for the American people and brought hope with his famous declaration that 'the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.' FDR built a broad coalition of urban workers, farmers, ethnic minorities, and the Solid South that would dominate American politics for decades.