The Impact of Populist and Progressive Reforms on American Politics

Introduction

Even though the events of the 1890s seem to be distant, the effects of the depression affected the United States drastically. After the majority of the prices were stabilized, the economy came back and allowed the government to profit from the expansion of its activities. The new political regimes were intended to promote social justice and create more opportunities for energetic and optimistic representatives willing to bring change.¹

This was one of the main reasons why the Populists and the Progressives emerged. The ideas of the Populists revolved around the need to reform the Capitalist system and create an environment where radicalism and conservative ideas were not welcomed. The Progressives, on the other hand, considered direct government control completely ineffective and believed in the regulation of the financial system and thoughtful prevention of monopolies.² The Progressives can be seen as much more focused on human welfare and social justice than their Populist counterparts.

Populist and Progressive Reforms and the Method of Civic Engagement

Speaking of Populists, the biggest reforms occurred during the last two decades of the 19^th century, when the power of social movements began rising substantially. After the Civil War, it was crucial for different wage earners to ensure that economic inequalities would be resolved as soon as possible.³ Accordingly, it was one of the biggest potential reforms for the Populists to override corporate power.

This was one of the main reasons why Populist candidates won elections (James Weaver in Iowa, for example) and broadened the party’s horizons in terms of influence on the government. On the other hand, there were Progressives such as Theodore Roosevelt, who wanted to pair reforms with imperialism and foreign politics. Robert La Follette, a member of the Progressive opposition, led the party toward different policies that revolved around domestic reforms and the need to pay less attention to the country’s foreign policy.

Ethical Considerations Related to Populist and Progressive Reforms

Speaking of the ethical considerations associated with the proposed reforms, the Populist movement was rather strong because it shaped its activities based on the principles of equality and cooperation. Thus, the Populist Party could be perceived as a coalition of like-minded individuals and organizations who maintained a vision based on solidarity and social benefits.⁴ Nevertheless, egalitarian entitlements were partially ignored, causing segregation and racial inequalities. The legacy of the Populist Party could be seen as hardly ethical because its agenda was not followed by the supporters to a relevant extent.

The reforms launched by the Progressives were significantly more well-thought-out and ethical because the proposed interventions had to affect the public infrastructure, land laws, and access to education.⁵ Nevertheless, concerns regarding the country’s foreign policy remained active, meaning that some of the operations carried out by the Progressive Party were as counterproductive as the Populists’.

Conclusion

Overall, it can be concluded that the Progressivists were significantly more effective when it was necessary to reshape American political thought. The ethical background of actions taken by Progressive and Populist politicians was relatively questionable as well because the impact of proposed policies was two-fold. Despite the tangible promotion of social justice, the majority of approaches proved to be ineffective because the two parties overlooked the significance of following the agenda. The perspectives of the proletariat and the disadvantaged were not considered, leading to the creation of more obstacles to improved well-being.

Bibliography

Kaltwasser, Rovira, Paul A. Taggart, Ochoa Paulina Espejo, and Pierre Ostiguy. The Oxford Handbook of Populism. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press, 2019.

Locke, Joseph L., and Ben Wright. The American Yawp: A Massively Collaborative Open U.S. History Textbook. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2019.

Sunshine, Spencer, and Chip Berlet. “Rural Rage: Right-Wing Populism and Patriot Movement in the United States.” Authoritarian Populism and the Rural World 46, no. 3 (2021): 120–53. Web.

Footnotes

1. Joseph L. Locke and Ben Wright, The American Yawp: A Massively Collaborative Open U.S. History Textbook, Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2019.
2. Rovira Kaltwasser et al., The Oxford Handbook of Populism, Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press, 2019.
3. Spencer Sunshine and Chip Berlet, “Rural Rage: Right-Wing Populism and Patriot Movement in the United States.” Authoritarian Populism and the Rural World 46, no. 3, 2021, p. 132.
4. Kaltwasser et al., 2019.
5. Locke and Wright, 2019.