The Politics of Post-Civil War Era

Post-civil war politics led to the conclusion of renouncing several Southern states from the weakened political strength of the Democrats as well as the initiated Era of Republic supremacy in the politics of America.  The taking over of the house by the Republicans created major conflicts that triggered civil wars outside the house.  The Democrats were weak and had no control making the Republic a dominant force with little or no oversight.  Corruption by the members from the business community propelled civil war unknowingly. The rich business people created policies that were passed by both the Senate and the House through bribing of members.

            The pocketbook was a political issue propagated by the interests of the business community.   They spent freely and lobbied support to favor business-friendly cash policies and tariff legislation.  There were countered efforts by progressive groups resisting high tariffs and tight monetary procedures that hiked the cost of consumable goods. The widespread of civil services was a reaction to oppose the rising corruption in the political era.  There was a need to collect money to fund institutions responsible for people and goods that came to the United States. The pocketbook promoted immigration and customs services that required a huge amount of monetary expenditure. 

Conservative Politics in The 1880s

The People’s Party was formed by populist's members who were agrarian farmers. The populist engaged in conserve and protection their interests from what was recognized as interests of the banking elite and the Eastern establishment.   The farmer's alliance who controlled the business community wanted access to loans that were denied by politicians. The conflicts created boundaries that restricted the people from joining the People’s Party. The People's Party appointed James Bryan as a candidate who campaigned on a strategy that was established to empower farmers and weaken the banks, railroad corporations and big businesses that had monopoly. The formation of the Democratic Party disbanded the People's Party and weakened the populist movement that was replaced by the Democrats.

Compare and Contrast Populism and Progressivism

The populist movement embraced a more radical approach. The movement consisted mainly of farmers from the Midwest. The movement created an impetus that preceded the emergence of the Populist movement.  The farmers resisted against industrialization and monopoly that hindered agricultural trade. On the contrary, the progressive movement was composed of urban elites, professionals and the working white collar. It advocated for social justice, provision of equality and the elimination of corruption in government.  The movement focused on exposing corruption in politics and business to the public.

Theodore Roosevelt was an advocate of the effective breaking of huge monopolies that manipulated prices and limited competition in the market.  Further, he promoted market fair prices and pro-labor laws that included reduction of a work week, safety measures at the workplace and restrictions on child labor.

William Taft came into office embracing Roosevelt’s policies of progressivism.  However, Taft signed the tariff bill into law that increased taxes on the citizens. The act was against majority Americans that led to misunderstanding and conflicts over legislative and conservation procedures creating the rift between the insurgents and Taft Republicans.

As the progressive party disintegrated, Woodrow Wilson adopted the policies set by Roosevelt and incorporated the party to the Democratic Party.  The move was to protect his re-election bid in the coming campaigns.  The First World War shifted the focus on inequality and social problems since the world was adopting a more liberal perspective. Therefore progressivism was considered inadequate to address the problems of the time.