Similarities Between Populists And Progressives

First of all there were social failures and successes between the populist and the progressive. During the progressive era, many lawmakers from state and general level made laws to protect citizens at home and those who are at work. Reforms were made saying that women and children

During the Progressive Era, pressure from labor, suffrage, and conservation movements profoundly changed the course of American history. Many of the reformers' ideas clashed with the male-dominated, capitalist economic structure present at the turn of the century. Some of the intended reforms opposed the current system, but the level of social unrest necessitated change. Businessmen and activists alike initiated the reforms during the Progressive Era. Government, due to the intention of calming the common man and quieting the seemingly more and more vocal middle class, supported them. In the final analysis, from the year 1900 to 1920, Progressive Era reformers were successful in bringing about reform to the United States.

The onset 20th Century holds two main movements: The Populists and The Progressives. These two parties are similar, but their policies and philosophies hold diversities. The Populists party comprises of farmers and poor whites in the south; they focus on eastern interests i.e. railroads and banks. The Populists also call for government action, to intervene and to create an efficient society which includes a flourishing middle class. The Progressives include educated middle class men and men of universities, they too demanded for reform, but accomplish their goals through legislation and the judicial system. The Progressives focused on reform as well as destroying the Robber Barons. Some Progressives were actually a part of the Populist Party; they weren’t contradictory parties. To simplify the matter The Populist party held picnics in order to present discussions, while the Progressives hold educated and sophisticated men of great esteem who were much more formal.

The progressive Era was times in History were local state and federal government took a leap forward in power and activism. In addition, the progressive era, was a time of development of new reforms and changes for America. Progressivism handles a wide range of problems and struggle for America. Such problems were created by unstructed industrialization, urbanization and immigration. As well as, the unfavorable distribution of power and wealth. Progressives believed strongly that problems such as these needed immediate action. Progressives existed in churches, organized labor, local political life, organizations and progressives of high education. Progressives wanted to make America better through inniatives, arranged action, idealism and social scientific research. Progressive had a tendency to expect the best possible outcome of situations. By, the 1920’s, progressives put in effect, changes of all aspects of society and government. Nevertheless, progressives had unhonorable qualities as well. They were biased of class and prejudiced against races.

The Populist and Progressives had many similarities. What the Populist fought for the Progressives continued on fighting. They fought for many similar things for example, they fought for the eight hour work day. The Populist and Progressives were for the people. They wanted to improve their

They also thought the disreputable events that were publicized by Muckrakers and the “antibusiness emotion” made progressivism prosper. Link and McCormick go on to explain we must differentiate each reform in the progressive movement and examine its reasoning and outcomes afterwards. Like Abrams, they too believe science affected the reforms and referred to the new knowledge of social science. Link and McCormick stand by the multiple failures of the progressive movement by stating, “the effort to change so many things all at once, and the grandiose claims made for the moral and material betterment which would result, meant that disappointments were bound to occur." Backing up their reason for not entirely blaming the reformers for the failure of progressive movement because they had attempted alternative methods. Link and McCormick also remind us that the progressives published their failures for others to see and remark upon. The progressives recognized each cultural group in the U.S. had different interests, hindering the collaboration of the nation as a whole. Abrams thought similarly except that our nation was forcing the different cultures to be more Anglo-Protestant. Link and McCormick acknowledge the progressives failed to remove social clash and their reforms did not complete the intent that they were made for. But the progressives had small accomplishment and “brought major innovations to almost every facet of public life in the United States." The

Throughout the 1880s and 1890s America was going through many changes and many of these were fought by the Populists. Silver being demonetized was another major problem for the Populists and they fought it along with asking for a national government regulated currency as well. The Populist Party also fought against the harsh taxes that were in place at the time in the United States. The biggest concern for many of the Populists was how to handle crop failures and how prices were to be controlled. All in all, the Populist movement was centered on helping out the farmers and improving the ever changing economy.

The Populist Movement ultimately failed to survive because of their desire for inflation and the support for the coinage of silver, as well as the fact that they merged with the Democratic Party to combat the Republicans. The 1896 election undermined agrarian insurgency, and a period of rapidly rising farm prices helped to bring about the dissolution of the Populist Party. Another important factor in the failure of the party was its inability to affect a genuine urban-rural coalition; its program had little appeal for wage earners of the industrial east. Although the populists were not outright socialists, many conservative interests saw the Populists as a threat to the basic economic system of the United States. The Populists’ agenda was

The Big Question: How did farmers, activists, workers and politicians face the problems of industrial America during the Populist and Progressive Eras?

The Progressive Era was a term used to describe a time period that had numerous reforms to correct the problems of the country. The origins of this time period was created from the lower class aiming to, “eliminate corruption in government, regulate business practices, address health hazards, and improve working conditions.” Not only did the lower class support reform, but middle class workers too because they were in competition with immigrants for jobs or they were women struggling for the same rights that men had. Another reform Progressives wanted was the right to a direct say in the primaries of elections so the public had more control within government. With more control in the government, this would allow the power of big corporation to be limited and prevent future problems that the middle and lower classes could endure. These goals the reformers had in the Progressive Era, led to a plethora of movements and actions in

There was a widely accepted notion called populism that had led to an ‘us’ and ‘them’ concept,

Interpretational Frameworks Each framework; Classical Liberal, Classical Republican, and Progressive each have contrasting principles for their framework. The Progressives framework is created on the idea that the Founders actions are based on economic interest and human greed. They believe that history was created through the struggles between social classes. Unlike the Progressive interpretation, the Liberal interpretation argues that the Founders ideas mattered the most. Founders were motivated by their own personal beliefs rather than economic interests of that the Progressives believed.

The party adopted a platform calling for the free coinage of silver along with the abolition of national banks. Another aspect of the Populist Party, is a graduated income tax, government ownership of all forms of transportation and communication, and the election of Senators by direct vote of the people. Civil service reform, a working day of eight hours, postal banks, pensions, and the reform of immigration regulations are just some of the other views and beliefs of populists.

Although there was a sense of economic flourishment, there were still many problems that economic minorities, as well as other marginalized groups, faced during the late 19th century. Despite these problems, there was an increase in efforts on both political and social platforms to recognize their problems. A prime example of this was the Populist party, which was formed in light of the economic depression that put farmers both in the South and West in a struggling, economic minority

The Populists and Progressive were two major movements that occurred during the outbreaks of the workers union after the civil war. The populists began during the late 1800s and the progressives began during the 1900s. There are many differences between these two movements, but yet both of these movements have many things in common. During this time, farmers united to protect their interests by creating a major political party. This party was known as the Peoples Party, which became known as the Populist Party. Populists drew their strength from rural areas as many Populists tended to mostly be poor and uneducated. They had ideas such as government ownership of major industries. Progressives, also affected by industrialization, began their movements in order to reestablish their society.