8.12.7
Identify the new sources of large-scale immigration and
the contributions of immigrants to the building of cities and the economy;
explain the ways in which new social and economic patterns encouraged
assimilation of newcomers into the mainstream amidst growing cultural diversity;
and discuss the new wave of nativism.
Grangerism is the process of organizing farmers to protest the increasing costs of maintaining and operating
a farm. After the Civil War, farming expanded in the west and the south, and
more land came under cultivation. Because the supply exceeded the demand, the
price of wheat fell from 1.45 dollars to 80 cents, and at the mid 1890’s, to 49
cents. However, the farmer’s expenditures, such as transportation, remained the
same level. This was caused by three main economic forces. The railroad
companies charged farmers more to ship their crops than for manufacturers to
ship their goods. They were also angry at the manufacturing companies that
charged outrageous prices on equipment, sometimes going into the thousands.
Bankers were also disliked because they charged high interest rates, because
when a farmer plants his crop, he needs to borrow money for the equipment. He
cannot pay the costs off all at once, so he loans from the banker. However, when
the banks set up high interest rates, the farmers became angry; if a crop
failed, they were in danger of having their farms taken away.
The farmers tried to combat the industrial and financial
strength of the railroads, manufacturers, and banks by forming a Grange, or a
national organization of farmers. This organization provided support, education,
and fellowship, as well as an organized beachfront to fight against industry. In
the way of support, its members sometimes loaned without interest rates, set up
cash only cooperatives, where farmers bought items from each other without the
burden of interest rates, and it was cheaper than the regular goods of the
manufacturers. In 1870, the Grange tried to cut farmer costs by getting state
legislatures to limit railroad shipping laws. Both measures failed. The
railroads used their money to influence the state legislatures to repeal the
laws, and the farmers were always short of cash, making cash only cooperatives
impossible. This lead to the formation of the Farmer’s Alliance, a separate
group of farmers. The Farmer’s Alliance wanted federal help to store crops. They
wanted to have access to government warehouses and have them lend to the farmer,
so that they would have lower interest rates. However, inter-regional fighting
reduced the Alliance’s power. In the 1892, members of the alliance formed the
Populist Party.
Populism is a system of political thought that believes power
goes to the people. Basic to developing new analytical frameworks for studying
neo-fascism is the need to rethink the definition of populism. In the late
1800's in the US an agrarian-based popular mass revolt swept much of the
country. Historian Lawrence Goodwyn described this original Populist movement in
the US as "the flowering of the largest democratic mass movement in American
history.” This and other romanticized views see populist movements as inherently
progressive and democratizing. It is as overly optimistic as the view of
populism by centrist/extremist theory (as postulated by Bell, Lipset, Raab, and
others) is overly pessimistic. As Margaret Canovan observed in her book,
Populism, "like its rivals, Goodwyn's interpretation has a political ax
to grind."
Canovan defined two main branches of populism
worldwide-agrarian and political-and mapped out seven disparate sub-categories.
Agarian populism is one branch of populism, and this is the
main one found in the history books. Began in 1890, the people of the time
called for radical economic changes, such as government ownership of railways,
telephone lines, and other vital services. They wanted to replace the gold
standard with a silver standard, so that farmers would be able to pay off debt
more easily, and to have more government regulation of businesses. They also
supported a number of political and labor reforms. They wanted an electoral
reform to limit the president to a single term, electing senators directly, and
introducing the use of secret ballots. They also wanted a national income tax
and to have an 8 hour workday for workers. This resulted in subsequent peasant
and agricultural revolutions in East Europe, and the Russian
narodniki.
Political populism is another branch. Popular democracy
requires more voter participation. In a nation such as the United States, where
only 40% even show up at the polls, this can become a problem. They want to use
popular referendums to remind the people to vote for their leaders. This
populism is marked by politicians making non-ideological appeals for “power to
the people”. However, the true ideology of political populism is a reactionary
dictatorship: antidemocratic in nature, suppressive of human rights, and
extremely right wing, anti liberal, anti change.
The late 19th-century US populist movement had many
praiseworthy features. As Lyons notes, "It promoted forms of mass democratic
participation; popularized anti-monopolism and trust-busting sentiments, put the
brakes on the greediest corporate pillagers and the concentration of economic
power; demanded accountability of elected officials; formed cooperatives that
promoted humane working relationships and economic justice; and set the stage
for substantial reforms in the economic system." In his book, The Populist
Persuasion, Michael Kazin suggests that "when a new breed of inclusive
grassroots movements does arise, intellectuals should contribute their time,
their money, and their passion for justice. They should work to stress the
harmonious, hopeful, and pragmatic aspects of populist language and to disparage
the meaner ones...."
Producerism is another type of populism that believes that
the average person produces something useful, and is anti low class and anti
high class economically. They believe that the fight should be against the
people at the top and bottom of society that pick the pockets of the average man
and hold up society’s progress. They are mainly made up of white
males.
Anti Elitism and Intellectualism is basically the disregard
of the Elite and the disregard of the Intelligent. They believe that people that
have no experience of what life is like outside the mansions and gardens and the
universities cannot make the decisions for the people.
Majoritiorianmism, Moralism, and Americanism are all right
wing, anti democratic, reactionary/conservative types of government. They
support deletion of most basic rights and replacing it by a direct people vote.
Americanism is marked by an adversity towards foreigners and believe they are
poisonous to society.
The Populist Party of the United States failed because they
could not remain united. The Democratic Party, during the 1890’s, took up the
free silver issue. This divided the populist vote: should they align themselves
with the democrats, or should they remain separate and risk losing voters? The
populists decided to endorse the Democratic Party candidate, William Bryan as
president, and they nominated Tom Watson as vice president. However, economic
hardships were almost over by now, and the Populist message no longer seemed as
urgent as before. Even the farmers were beginning to be freed from the
oppression by the railroad companies. The Populist Party began to fade into history.
However, all their effort was not in vain. Eventually, almost
all populist goals were realized. In 1900, the United States abandoned the gold
standard, adopted an eight-hour workday, and introduced an income tax. Electoral
reforms brought in direct election of senators and the secret ballot. Populism
has been realized.
More Information:
1.
http://www.socialstudies.com/c/@BZ98SNiy_x41s/Pages/search.html?Record_Type=Products&CA_Standard=812