The chapter in Ellis Hawleys, The Great War and the Search for a Modern Order, entitled, The Associative Vision at Home and Abroad dealt with the visions of Herbert Hoover. The chapter initially dealt with Herbert Hoovers vision of the, associative state. The associative state was a vision that Hoover had for America, after he had seen the effects of World War I, and the scandal that accompanied the Coolidge administration. The associative state was the idea that the public sphere should cooperate with the private sphere, in the business realm. Hoover, an individual whom largely went against many progressive ideals, was a strong believer in new individualism. Hoover envisioned partnership, which would bring large in addition to moderate business spheres not readily accessible to government scrutiny into having a closer relationship with government. Bound by Quaker influences and a firm belief in science and the scientific method, Hoover went about to found the associative state.Hoovers visions of the associative state were viewed as heretic by many of his contemporaries. Individuals such and Calvin Coolidge in addition to Andrew Mellon adamantly rejected Hoovers idea of cooperative partnership. The thesis of their argument being that cooperative partnership went against their views of unfair competition in business, in essence it went against the conservative platform of establishing and upholding anti-trust laws. Hoover was also criticized for the desire to expand government agencies and create new ones, in order to promote economic harmony, and put a check on codes and ethics on ways that business was conducted.Hoover, as Secretary of Commerce attempted to put his vision of the associative state into effect. He did this through his belief in de facto intervention in markets through incentives. In no other market did he display this plan more than agriculture, by creating the Food Administration. Hoover pushed for sci...
