If you want I could list more specifics about policies etc.
Please do. I am interested in reading about this.
Harding
Appointments:
- Out of 10 cabinet spots, though 2 were mediocre (Denby, Hays) and 2 bad (Daugherty, Fall), there were 6 “All Stars” (Hughes, Hoover, Davis, Wallace, Mellon, Weeks) which to me is a very strong cabinet.
- Selecting Charles Dawes for Budget Director (see below) was also a great choice.
Foreign Affairs:
- Handled diplomacy with Europe well, with a pragmatic approach that was engaged but not entangled (the idea that his administration was isolationist is wrong, though he had issues with isolationists in Congress).
o Peace treaties were negotiated with Germany and Austria,
o Successful naval disarmament conference hosted
o Addressed debt issues with Europe
o Pushed for involvement in World Court but Congress wouldn’t accept
- Handling of Latin America also greatly improved over predecessors
o better relations with Mexico (which Wilson had invaded)
o hosted a Central American conference
o reached an agreement to end US occupation of Dominican Republic (which Wilson had invaded)
o patched up relations with Columbia which had been damaged by the Panama situation
Domestic Affairs:
- The combination of Hoover, Davis and Wallace was in my opinion a solid progressive team to handle domestic matters.
- Good improvements in regulation of agricultural markets: Commodities Exchange Act; Packers and Stockyard Act; Grain Futures Act; Emergency Agriculture Credits Act; Capper-Volstead Act
- Regulatory innovation in radio and air traffic
- got the steel industry to improve working conditions.
- spoke out about civil rights and pushed for an anti-lynching law, though was unsuccessful getting it through Congress.
- pardoned Debs and undid the various restrictive measures from Wilson’s administration.
- Organized a Conference on Unemployment well presided over by Hoover (I think we often forget that Wilson's administration ended in severe recession)
Fiscal Affairs:
- Possibly the greatest accomplishments was getting a budget act passed (Wilson had vetoed the first one) that created a Bureau of the Budget. Harding then appointed Charles Dawes as Budget Director. A modern budgetary system was established that organized and accounted for government spending. Dawes cut over $1 billion in wasteful spending.
- In addition, taxes were cut and the debt was reduced.
A book I liked is:
http://books.google.com/books?id=nt2ttLTy6IUC&dq=harding+dean+presidency&lr=&as_brr=3&source=gbs_navlinks_s
