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American History - Ben > Rise of populism and progressivism (1890-1912) > Flashcards

Rise of populism and progressivism (1890-1912) Flashcards

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1
Q

4

Describe the emergence of the populism

A
  • Agragarian-based movement
  • Preceded by Farmers Alliance, the Grange and KoL
  • James B Weaver stood as candidate for left-wing People’s Party (Populist Party) in 1892
  • Won 8.5% of vote, esp in West - substantial support for 3rd party
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2
Q

6

Describe the aims of populism in 1892

A
  • Bimetallism - replace Gold Standard with unlimited ‘free silver’ as basis of currency in addition to gold
  • Regulation of railways, specifically high freight prices
  • Much greater regulation of farm prices
  • Graduated income tax
  • Direct election of senators
  • Maximum 8hr work day
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3
Q

3

Describe the demise of the Bourbon Democrats

A
  • 1894 mid-terms - historic defeats (largest swing in House history, losing over 100 seats)
  • Laissez-faire approach and Gold Standard support led to rise of populism among traditional rural base
  • Acceptance of JP Morgan loan showed that Cleveland sided with Wall St
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4
Q

4

Describe the rise of populism within the Democrat party

A
  • ‘silverities’ won a floor debate at the party’s National Nominating Convention in Chicago
  • Democrats formally adopted free silver as policy
  • 1896, Bryan recieved nomination to combat rise of populist party
  • Populist Party declined to run own candidate to avoid splitting the vote
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5
Q

3

Describe Bryan’s campaign

A
  • Relied heavily on oratory due to lack of financial backing
  • Made 600 speeches
  • Evoked biblical connotations in famous ‘Cross of Gold’ speech denouncing the Gold Standard
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6
Q

4

Describe the McKinley and Republican support base

A
  • Far fewer AA voters since days of Lincoln following failure of Rc
  • Assembled conservative coalition of businessmen
  • Won support of WC who had prospered from industrialisation
  • Won support of majority of press, including highly-influential New York Times
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7
Q

6

Describe McKinley’s campaign in 1896

A
  • Driven by master political strategist and fundraiser, Mark Hanna
  • Ran ‘front porch’ campaign, remaining close to home
  • Spent $3.5m
  • Sent more than 1000 letters and team of 1500 speakers to voters
  • Focussed on battleground states from Ohio to Wisconsin
  • Smear campaign of Bryan
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8
Q

4

Describe the smear campaign of Bryan

A
  • Portrayed as reckless anarchist
  • Demonised as religious fanatic
  • printed fake dollar bills stating ‘in God we trust… for the other 53 cents’
  • Illustrated claim that a dollar bill would be worth only 47% of original value under bimetallism
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9
Q

3

Describe the results of the 1896 election

A
  • Pop vote: McKinley 7m vs Bryan 6.5m (+500k)
  • EC: McKinley 273 vs Bryan 176
  • Bryan unable to win single state in populous NE where workers feared free silver
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10
Q

3

Describe the successes of President McKinley

A
  • Alaska-Yukon Gold Rush 1896-99 increased the amount of gold in circulation (30-40k speculators)
  • Political position strengthened by the Spanish-American War
  • Growing economy
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11
Q

5

Describe the weaknesses of Presdient McKinley

A
  • Big business friendly policies
  • Dingley Tariff Act 1897 (increased tariffs)
  • Currency Act 1900 (committed the US to maintaining the gold standard)
  • Strong disagreements with his 2nd VP Roosevelt
  • Assassinated September 1901
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12
Q

In what years did Bryan run for the Presidency?

A
  • 1896
  • 1900
  • 1908
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13
Q

3

Describe the difference between populism and progressivism

A
  • Populism - rural and regional
  • Progressivism - urban, middle-class and national (+ wider social/political platform)
  • But both advocated expanded govt intervention
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14
Q

3

Describe the reasons for the emergence of progressivism

A
  • Reaction to monopolistic capitalism of GA
  • Put forward by muckracking journalism and reform-minded politicians
  • Came from both sides of political divide
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15
Q

1

Describe muckracking journalism

A

investigative journalism in which exposès would denounce child labour, poor living conditions

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16
Q

11 - don’t need all

Describe the aims of progressivism

A
  • Votes for women
  • End to inner-city corruption
  • Regulation of big business, anti-trust
  • Improved worker rights
  • Welfare reform
  • Consumer protection
  • Improved rights for AAs
  • Direct election of Senators
  • Primary elections
  • Prohibition
  • Regulation of banking industry

RRR - PP - CCC - WS

17
Q

5

Describe Theodore Roosevelt

A
  • National hero who led rough-riders in Spanish–American War 1898
  • Sought compromise after McKinley’s 1901 assassination
  • Figurehead of progressive movement
  • Supportive of targeted intervention, even if necessitating expansion of government
  • Supportive of Gold Standard
18
Q

2

Describe historical intepretations of Theodore Roosevelt

A
  • Proponents say he gave publicity and impetus to progressive movement, bringing Presidential office into arena of socio-economic reform
  • Others view him as reactionary who supported reforms to prevent revolution
19
Q

4

Describe TR’s anti-trust measures

A
  • Evoked anti-big business sentiment in 1st State of Union Address to Congress in Dec 1901
  • Utilised Sherman Anti-Trust Act 1890 more efffectively
  • Department of Commerce and Labor Act 1903
  • Hepburn Act 1906
20
Q

3

Describe the Sherman Anti-Trust Act 1890

A
  • Government held right to break up trusts
  • Take them to court for anti-competition practices
  • Rarely and ineffectively used
21
Q

4

Describe TR’s use of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act 1890

A
  • 1902 - instructed attorney general Knox to start proceedings against the Northern Securities Company, which controlled several railways in NE
  • Involved taking on Rockefeller and JP Morgan
  • 1904, SC decided company was illegal and subsequently dissolved
  • Embarked upon 44 antitrust prosecutions, including American Tobacco and Standard Oil
22
Q

4

Describe the Department of Commerce and Labor Act 1903

A
  • created new Department of Commerce with Cabinet secretary
  • Granted power to collect data from any company that dealt in interstate commerce
  • Vital to identifying monopolies or prices fixing
  • TR put public pressure on Congress to pass Act
23
Q

3

Describe the Hepburn Act 1906

A
  • expanded provisions of 1903 Elkins Act
  • Gave ICC power to inspect books of railroad companies
  • ICC could lay down maximum freight rates

ICC - Interstate Commerce Commission

24
Q

2

Describe the anthracite coal strike 1902

A
  • Miners who went on strike for higher wages and 8hr day
  • Stalemate reached
25
Q

3

Describe TR’s Square Deal

A
  • TR summoned both sides to DC and claimed he would sent in troops to work in mines unless arbitration agreed
  • Employers settled on higher wages and 9hr work day
  • TR called settlement the ‘square deal’ - balanced competing interests - synonymous with domestic policies
26
Q

4

Describe the signficance of the square deal

A
  • Previous governments had regularly taken side of employers
  • TR emphasises importance of government in obtaining social justice
  • Led to huge WC popularity
  • However employers raised prices to cover pay rise and had not conceded much
27
Q

5

Describe TR’s Conservation

A
  • 1905, appointed Gifford Pinchot as 1st Chief of US Forest Service
  • Ordered 150m acres to be placed on federal reserves (national parks)
  • Circa 120m acres taken in public domain between 1905-09
  • 1908, organised National Conservation Conference - led to many state conservation efforts
  • 1st President to take keen interest in environmental issues
28
Q

2

Describe TR’s consumer protection legislation

A
  • Meat Inspection Act 1906 - federal programme of meat inspection
  • Pure Food and Drug Act 1906 - started process of ending food adulteration
29
Q

1

Why was TR’s progressive legislative agenda limited

A
  • Growing divide within Republicans between conservatives and progressives
30
Q

3

Describe the progressive policies of Taft

A
  • Passed 16th amendment in Congress to allow for introduction of federal income tax in 1909
  • Embarked on (99) anti-trust prosecutions, over double TR in half the time
  • Famously took controversial legal action against US Steel in 1911
31
Q

4

Describe the conservative policies of Taft

A
  • Sacked Pinchot in 1910 to placate big business
  • Did not veto Payne-Aldrich Tariff Act 1909
  • Adopted more cautious trade-orientated FP, especially in Latin America
  • Progressive agenda limited to tax reform/big business regulation, rather than wider agenda of TR
32
Q

3

Describe Joseph Cannon

A
  • ultra-conservative speaker Joseph Cannon that had stifled TR’s more progressive reforms
  • Taft held personal dislike, but willing to tolerate to maintain large Republican House majority and consensus around his policies
  • 1910, progressive Republicans partnered with Democrats to lead revolt against Cannon
33
Q

3

Describe opposition to Taft

A
  • Now-progressive Democrats had unexpected success in 1910 mid-terms, gaining the House
  • ‘fighting Bob’ Robert La Follete organised ‘National Reformist League’ to influence Republican policies based towards progressive reform
  • TR bitter rival by 1910, launched comeback 1911-12
34
Q

3

Describe TR’s opposition to Taft

A
  • Resented Taft’ reversal of his progressive agenda, especially Pinchot’s sacking
  • In reality disagreements more in style than substance
  • Unofficial campaigning by his supporters hijacked progressive insurgency of RLF, infuriating him
35
Q

4

Describe the 1912 Republican/Progressive campaign

A
  • Taft won on first ballot (patronage helped)
  • Yet mandate fatally weakened by party divisions
  • July 1912, TR bullied RLF into standing down and won nomination for National Progressive Party
  • Oct 1912, TR declared he felt as ‘strong as a bull moose’ after assassination attempt
36
Q

6

List the reasons for Republican dominance 1890-1912

A
  • Adoption of progressivism
  • Big Business support
  • Democrat and populist failures
  • Popular appeal of TR
  • Economic recovery
  • Electoral system - relegated Dem support to more sparsely populated South and West
37
Q

2

Describe the Payne-Aldrich Act 1909

A
  • Average reduction of 5%
  • raised tariffs on 220 items to high levels
38
Q

2

Who were the ‘goo-goos’?

A
  • Reformers who wished to address corruption in municipal government
  • Linked to progressives and mugwumps
39
Q

2

When did the primary system start?

A
  • Oregon trialled in 1910
  • North Dakota become first state to use primary for presidential election in 1912

American History - Ben (22 decks)

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