1. Many make the argument that Richard Nixon was the last "liberal" Republican president, considering opening up of trade and signing into law massive environmental policies.
2. Many consider FDR to be the moment that the Democratic party switched from a more agrarian conservative party to the modern "liberal" party that it is today. As I mentioned with your other question, this occurred after Progressives that had split after Teddy Roosevelt last found their new home in the Democratic party. A similar drift would occur as Richard Nixon used the Southern Strategy to peel southern Democrats away and towards the new Republican party
3. Many consider Ronald Reagan to be the first true modern conservative President. Reagan embraced many of the tenets of the failed Goldwater presidential run and is still hailed as the gold standard for Conservative presidents.
4. Many consider Lyndon Johnson to be our most reliably liberal presidents. Johnson took the New Deal programs and expanded them with his "War on Poverty" but his legacy was ultimately complicated by the war in Vietnam.
Confidence plays a very large role in both economic "booms" and "crashes," since when confidence is high, people are willing to invest more in companies since they are confident the companies will continue to do well. When confidence is low, however, they are hesitant to invest since they think the company may fail.
MacArthur - pacific front
Patton - European front