A progressive tidal wave emerged in the late nineteenth century determined to counteract America’s laissez faire nature. By 1896, the Democratic Party co-opted the movement nominating William Jennings Bryan for president. The Democrats lost the election, but progressivism remained to dominate politics for the next two decades. The movement, which engulfed both political parties, led to major political, economic, and social reforms before people tired of progressivism and blamed it for World War I, a depression, and loss of freedoms.
The progressive movement emerged out west and spread east. In 1892, Populist presidential candidate James Weaver won nearly 9% of the popular vote and 22 electoral votes. Four years later, William Jennings Bryan adopted progressive policies and incorporated it into the Democratic platform. Bryan’s radicalism led to William McKinley’s electoral victory.
Bryan’s embrace of populism changed the Democratic Party. The populist movement began as an agrarian movement that hoped to improve the plight of farmers. It opposed railroads, corporations, and banks. Occasionally, the movement united with labor unions. Despite progressive fears, McKinley worked to reform the government. He nominally kicked off the so-called “Progressive Era” by moving against monopolies, reforming the civil service, and lowering the tariff.
While the period began in earnest under McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt truly ushered in the reform era. Roosevelt attempted to steer a middle course between extremes. He attacked “bad” monopolies that hurt consumers, worked fair compromises in labor issues by not taking sides, and he moved to protect consumers from tainted meat and falsely labeled products. The only area in which Roosevelt proved truly radical was conservation.
Roosevelt scoffed at the so-called “muckrakers” that attacked big business. He felt they an extension of yellow journalism. However, some did expose abuses in the system. Upton Sinclair’s socialist novel The Jungle led to the Meat Inspection Act. Ida Tarbell’s assault on Standard Oil set the standard for investigative reporting.
Roosevelt’s successor, William Howard Taft, expanded the attack on monopolies and continued conservation policy. Woodrow Wilson followed Taft and worked to transform the country. He attacked the “triple wall of privilege” including banks, tariffs, and monopolies. By Wilson’s Administration, McKinley’s conservative reform and Roosevelt’s objective nature dissipated. Wilson clearly governed as a leftist.
By 1920, the public had enough of Wilson. World War I disillusioned many in the western world, including Americans. People questioned whether the war had been worth the millions of deaths. On top of this, Wilson’s policies were not popular. A depression struck the nation and the government had taken an authoritarian turn. The government arrested many without cause, clamped down on free speech, and could not stop a spate of terrorist attacks. As a result, the country voted for Warren Harding hoping to escape Wilsonian progressivism.
Perhaps progressives are naturally inclined toward totalitarian impulses since progressivism itself is based on government action. Despite Wilson's crackdown on civil liberties, the Progressive Era led to many positive reforms. Politically, it brought the vote to women, the direct election of senators, the right to recall officials, ballot initiatives, and presidential primaries. Economically, it lowered tariffs, regulated banks, and reigned in monopolies. The era liberated the labor movement from antitrust laws. Most practically, it led to consumer policies designed to protect the food supply and inform consumers about the products they purchase and consume.
While it brought many positives, the era remains controversial. The period brought the income tax, originally aimed at the rich, but has since crept into middle class earnings. The Federal Reserve has had a spotty record of success and some believe it worsened the Great Depression. Prohibition led to a dramatic rise in violent crime and the Mafia’s rise to prominence. Progressives responded to World War I by limiting free speech and violating civil liberties. By 1920, the public had enough.
The Progressive Era began under William McKinley and lasted until Woodrow Wilson. The period brought a number of reforms, but had an overall spotty record. While it improved food quality and protected consumers, it enhanced federal power and bungled the Mafia into power. While many rightly celebrate the period’s successes, people should not forget the period’s failings.
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