3 - Populism & Progressivism ('90-'12) Flashcards
1
Q
Populism & Progessivism - Legislation/Events
A
2
Q
Populism & Progessivism - Presidents
A
1.5T - McKinley, ‘96-‘01
2T - Teddy Roosevelt, ‘01-‘08
1T - Taft, ‘08-‘12
3
Q
McKinley strengths & weaknesses
A
Stengths
* Alaska-Yukon Gold Rush increased the amount of gold in circulation
* Political position strengthened by the Spanish-American War
* Growing economy
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Weaknesses
* Big business friendly policies
* Dingley Tariff Act ‘97 (increased tariffs)
* Currency Act 1900 (committed the US to maintaining the gold standard)
* Strong disagreements with VP TR
* Assassinated Sept ‘01
4
Q
TR strengths (few sig. weaknesses)
A
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Anti-trust measures
- Further enforced Sherman Antitrust Act ‘90 - 44 anti-trust prosecutions
- Department of Labour & Commerce Act ‘03 - Created a new Department of Commerce with power to collect data from any business dealing in interstate commerce, identified monopolies & price fixing
- Hepburn Act ‘06 - Established a federal government commission with power to inspect books of railroad companies & lay down max rates they could charge
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Sided with the workers during the Anthracite coal strike ‘02
- Said he would send the army in to work the mines, workers given wage rises & 9hr work limit
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Conservation
- 150M acres of forest placed under Fed. reserve
- Strictly enforced laws on grazing, mining and lumbering
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Consumer protection
- Pure Food and Drug Act ‘06 started the end of food adulteration
- Led to federal meat inspection programme
- Roosevelt brought federal government and presidential office into the domain of economic and social reform
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However,
- Didn’t prevent the progressive-conservative divide in the Republican party
- Split the Rep. vote in ‘12 election due to forming the Bull Moose Party
5
Q
Taft strengths & weaknesses
A
Stengths
* Antitrust measures (80 antitrust suits)
* 8hr working day for government employees
* Mine safety legislation
* Interstate Commission to set railroad rates
* ‘09, introduced federal income tax and corporation tax (later used to fund direct election of senators)
Respected rights of congress to oppose his ideas
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Weaknesses
* Lacked TR’s political skill
* Failed to handle Republican Party progressive-conservative divide
* Payne-Aldrich Act ‘09 (failed to lower tariffs)
* Lost the support of TR who considered him too conservative
6
Q
Populism & its importance
A
- Agricultural discontent
- Regulation of railways & farm prices
- Improve AA rights
- Graduated income tax
- Direct election of senators
- 8hr working day
- Bimetallism
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Important - Progressives adopted many of the aims of the populist party
- Third party influence of the Populists
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Not important - Collapsed following 1896 election (short lived)
- Had few electoral success (45 member served in Congress 1891-1902)
7
Q
Causes of Progressivism
A
- Economic problems
- Depression of ‘93, 12% unemployed in ‘90s, Falling standards of living, Failing small farms vs big agribusiness
- Social problems
- Poor living conditions, 6 day, 72hr working week, No welfare system
- Need for political reform
- Growing dissatisfaction with the 2 main parties, Corruption
- Need to regulate big business
- Monopolies and fixed prices, Increasingly hostile to robber barons
- Media influence
- Increase in magazine and newspaper circulation, spreading views and opinions, ‘12, McClure’s magazine sold 1M copies per edition
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Fear of revolution
- Concern about the growth of socialism and radicalism, Growing trade unions and violent strikes
8
Q
Progressivism goals
A
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Political aims
- Female suffrage, More democratic election of public officials (e.g. Direct election of senators), Regulation on big business and intervention on the side of the workers
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- Female suffrage, More democratic election of public officials (e.g. Direct election of senators), Regulation on big business and intervention on the side of the workers
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Economic aims
- Regulation of big business
- Legislation to recognise trade unions, regulate working hours & provide compensation for injury at work
- Insurance schemes for unemployed, elderly and sick
- Legislation for consumer protection
- Bimetallism
___
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Social aims
- Female suffrage, Welfare state, Prohibition, Improved living standards for AAs
9
Q
Industrial Growth
A
- Modern oil production started in ‘01
- ‘13, Oklahoma producing 25% nations oil
- ‘04, largest 4% US companies producing 57% of total industry in the US
- US Steel became the world’s first billion-dollar company
10
Q
Industrial discontent
A
- Pittsburg Steelworkers’ strike ‘93 - lasted 5 months but collapsed due to lack of funding & no negotiations accepted
- Pullman strike ‘94 - Pullman company cut wages, but not rent of required employee housing, rioting led troops to kill 4, Gov. proved hostile to strikers & strikes outlawed until ‘30s
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Depression of ‘93
- Reading Railroad declared bankruptcy, started financial panic
- ‘Industrial Black Friday’ - 24 businesses collapsed per day in May
- Sparked a 4 year depression (‘93-‘97)
- 15k companies and 600 banks collapsed
- National unemployment reached 20%
- Cleveland passed the Repeal of the Silver Purchase Act ‘96 which began to improve the economy
- Encouraged the rise of progressivism
11
Q
Mass Immigration
A
- ‘60 to 1900 - 14M immigrants
- 1900, NYC had more Italians than Naples and twice as many Irish as Dublin
- ‘14, 1.4M of NYC’s 4.7M population were Jewish
- ‘90, 10% San Francisco population was Chinese
12
Q
Expansionist foreign policy causes
A
- Accidental empire
- Empire came about unintentionally die to several unrelated political moves
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Progressive imperialism
- Motivated by a desire to improve the lives of non-americans (Cuba, Phillipenes taken from Spanish Empire in S.A.W.)
- Need for markets
- Hawaii was a stopping off point for trade to Asia, Hawaii & Cuba for sugar
- The end of westward expansion
- Westward expansion was a form of imperialism and and after the end of the frontier, it was inevitable that American attention would move abroad
- Turner Thesis
- Preclusive imperialism
- Taking colonies to prevent other countries doing so (Alaska in prevention of Britain, Hawaii in prevention of Japan, Britain, Spain, Germany etc.)
- Monroe Doctrine 1823
- Roosevelt Corollary ‘04
- US intervened in Latin America if there is ‘wrong doing’
13
Q
FP in Latin America
A
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Cuba
- S.A.W.
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Panama Canal
- 1903, Panamanians stage a revolt for independence from Colombian rule
Revolt supported by US, sent a battleship and a regiment
Panama achieves independence
Accepts US offer of $10 million for a 16 km wide strip of land to build the Panama Canal through
- 1903, Panamanians stage a revolt for independence from Colombian rule
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Puerto Rico
- Originally Spanish owned
- US invaded in 1898 during Spanish-American War
- Ruled to belong to US under Organic Act of 1900
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Venesuala
- US intervened during 1895 British-Venezuelan dispute over border in Guiana
14
Q
FP in Pacific
A
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Samoa
- Strong German and Britain interest as a trading post
Samoan Civil War in 1898
1899, Samoan monarchy abolished
US established a protectorate in the east and the west became a German colony
- Strong German and Britain interest as a trading post
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Hawaii
- To use as a stopping station on the way to China and Japan as well as the economic advantage of Hawaiin sugar
- 1890’s, large american presence in Hawaii and Pacific Naval Base and Pearl Harbour
- 1891, Hawaiian queen leads a rebellion. Marines arrived and rebels surrendered in three days.
- July 1898, US annexed Hawaii
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Phillipenes
- US purchased from Spain for $20 million as part of Treaty of Paris 1898
- 3 reasons - US could ‘civilise’ through democracy and christianity, Prevent being taken over by Britain, Germany or Japan, Islands ‘incapable’ of ruling themselves
- Strong resistance by Filipinos resulting in 4 year war of subjugation
15
Q
FP in Asia
A
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China
- No interest in expanding territorially into China
- ‘99, US introduced Open Door Policy
- Later extended to state that the US government would protect the lives and property of US citizens living in China
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Japan
- US helped negotiate end to the Russo-Japanese War of ‘04-‘05
- Root-Takahira Agreement ‘08, agreed to respect each others interests in China and maintain current situation in the Pacific
- US agreed to Japanese right to annex Korea
