The Populism Movement

Why did farmers express discontent during 1870-1900 and what impact did their attitudes and actions have on national politics. Manufacturing hit a huge growth rate during this period which cause agriculture to decline, and cause farmers to struggle to make a living. The farmers were now being abused by the railroad companies and banks. The documents in DBQ 8 show rationality for the farmer’s protests, exclusively on bank mortgage tariffs and the gold standard. Two particular groups became popular during this period and that would be the Grangers and the Populist Party. Farmers fought against the Gold Standard, railroads, and industrialist during this period causing lots of confrontation.

Farmers had to buy seed, fertilizer, and they had to be able to pay to get their goods out to the markets. This meant that their profit margins were close to nothing. Farmers commonly found themselves in large amounts of debt. The Populist Party, also known as the people’s party, consisted of small farmers, temperance forces, and labor unionist. These people came together due to common interest and demands they had for the government. The Farmers Alliance led to the establishment of the People’s Party, really took off when these people met up together in St.Louis in 1892. They wanted an expansion of currency, meaning that instead of gold being the only form of currency, they wanted silver to be part of it too. This would benefit the populist by causing inflation, which would make it easier to pay off credit and debt that they had. In addition they wanted equal opportunity, control of the railroads, and direct elections of the congressmen. Many of the populist’s ideas were mind blowing to many Americans at the time and was seen as challenging the current acting laws. The populist began to run in elections for congress and even presidential elections. They wanted to be established as a large political party. This party found much success in the 1892 presidential election, where they acquired over one million

There was a social change in which women also fought for suffrage. The populists were pretty much the victims of economic distress and their arguments were founded on the basis of progressive movements. One of the populist failure was that they lost the national election when the farmers united to insist on economic reform.

The end of the 19th century brought to farmers astringent policies enforced by railroad companies, once stable cash crops like cotton and wheat now selling at such low profit margins due to inflation that farmers continued to end up in the red, spikes in foreign competition due to leaps and bounds in transportation, and all of this in the wake of a devastating drought that brought with it the degradation of businesses throughout the west. This agricultural depression culminated into the Populist movement, founded on the premise of the politicalization of the farmers plight. However, much of the negative stigma put onto the precipitants of the industrial revolution by farmers was under false pretense, when the dry and arid conditions of the

* Populism – This was a popular movement with farmers. Especially among poor farmers that lived in the South.

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.

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.

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

Farmers united to protect their interests, even creating a major political party. The party was called the peoples party which became known as the populist party. Populists drew its strength from rural areas. Populists tended to be poor and uneducated. They had ideas such as government ownership of major industries. The Populists supported labors demand for an eight

The Farmer’s Alliance was created to organize farmers and establish a way for farmers to talk to other individuals to talk about their ideas. By pulling together in a unified effort they forced changes in the capitol. They had other plans to raise crop prices through withholding products but most farmers were to far in debt to participate. This movement birthed the Populist party.

The ‘Gilded Age’ began from 1870s to 1900s and its politics contributed to the advancement of Capitalism. Entrepreneurs’ business practices were barbaric and unethical, then they were named as the ‘Robber Barons’. The ‘Robber Barons’ established monopolies, mistreated and exploited their workers. These savage practices lead to the establishment of the Antitrust Act which regulates businesses and promote fair competition for the benefit of consumers and diminish business monopolies. Between 1880s and 1890s were the years of significant political crisis. One of the notable political conflict was the farmers’ revolt in the late 19th century. Farmers’ lifestyle was complicated due to drought, boll weevils, rising costs, rising costs, declining prices, and high interest rates. They blamed railroad owners, land monopolists and other businesses. The farmers formed an alliance and the ‘Populist Party’. Populist Party aimed to increase the amount of money in circulation, repay loans with government assistance, reducing tariffs and a graduated income

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.

Populism gained traction as a response to the increasingly growing demography of working class and urban lower middle class who were susceptible to political mobilization. La Moral in Columbia came into effect because the political stalwarts at the time were averse to democratic governance and thus resisted the democratization process. The populism frenzy peaked in the late 1950’s. The leaders at the time campaigned for office in line with populist fashion. These politicians were flamboyant in their election campaigns. They would sway the masses and newly minted voters into accepting their political ideologies and manifestos.

The Whigs won elections of 1840 and 1848. They nominated in 1840 William Henry Harrison

Germani et al. argue that populism is directly linked to a particular economic transformation phase from agrarian societies to industrial societies since 1930s (Germani, Di Tella, & Ianni, 1973). New economic development model of 1930s; namely import substituting industrialization (ISI), leads to urbanization and