Populist Influence on 20th Century Farm Policy

Not being tied to the kind of organization that was developing in the 19th century

Inchoate and difficult to define due to its usage in various contexts and movements

Dissatisfaction with established elites

<p>Who they were up against</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>It would have affected the organization of the political economy</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The popular vote</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>There has been discussion and debate on their effectiveness</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>They are quite different</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>What they wanted to do</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The popular vote was very close despite the substantial loss in the electoral vote</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Populism emerged in the rural American South in the 1880s.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The major transitions were the abolition of slavery and the shift from slave labor to new forms of free labor, as well as the transition of small farmers to growing more cotton.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The guest is Dr. Steven Hahn of New York University, an expert who wrote a book on populism.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Revisiting the history of the populist movement helps us understand how and why the term 'populism' is used in present day politics.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Small farmers in the American South transitioned from growing mostly subsistence crops to being drawn into the cotton economy and growing more cotton.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>They were under financial stress due to declining cotton prices not matching the cost of production, leading to some losing their land and becoming sharecroppers or tenants.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The Greenback movement raised questions about the control of the money supply, advocating for an inflationary currency and public control over money supply.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Rural areas suffered as wealth and power became concentrated, resources were controlled privately, and urban-centric policies favored manufacturing over agriculture.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>People in the South felt that the government favored non-producers over individual producers, leading to a critique of the economic relationships benefiting non-producers.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Wealth and power concentration, private control over resources, and policies favoring urban areas led to growing costs and reduced credit availability, impacting agricultural production negatively.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Expanding the money supply, favoring debtors over creditors, nationalizing means of transportation and communication, and the free coinage of silver.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>To inflate the money supply, make money more available, and reduce interest rates.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The Populist Party had a clear platform and was an organized political party, unlike the broad label of populism today.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Greenbackism had strong support in both industrializing cities and stressed countryside of agriculture.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Accusations of corruption, using wealth to enrich themselves at the expense of ordinary people, and language of aristocracy.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Economic tensions arose between industrializing cities and rural areas over crop prices.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Race played a significant role in the Populists' coalition as they struggled to overcome their history of racist ideas and hostility towards African Americans.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The Populists found more political success in rural areas of the plains of the south and Rocky Mountain West, rather than industrial cities east of the Mississippi River.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Some Populists recognized the need to attract as many votes as possible and understood that forming alliances with African Americans was crucial for political success.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The social base of the Populist Party had a history of racist ideas and hostility towards African Americans, making it challenging for them to engage in biracial political alliances.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Economic argument based on shared hardships and interests</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Republican Party symbolized emancipation and political rights</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Creation of cooperatives and farm legislation</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Hope to weaken dominant economic and political interests</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>As a political organization dependent on the votes of African Americans and more humble whites</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Left wing of the progressive movement, 20th century American socialism</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>In the 19th century, there were rural organizations, urban organizations, and labor organizations; today, popular unrest is not as organized.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Concentration of wealth and power, economic inequality, political corruption</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The Populists winning political power did not transform the relative disempowering of the countryside.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Issues about concentration of wealth and power, economic inequality, and political corruption are common themes.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The critique was that the movement lacked a clear direction and was more inchoate, turning its agenda towards political elections.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The Populists knew who they were up against, named their opponents, and knew what they wanted to achieve.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The economic anxiety of small landowners in the 1880s manifested in dissatisfaction with established elites and their behaviors.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The main concerns raised by the Greenback movement were dissatisfaction with established elites and economic relationships.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The text suggests that if the Populists had won political power, it would have altered the organization of the political economy in the United States.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The text describes the current understanding of populism as inchoate and used in various contexts, often associated with dissatisfaction with established elites.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The significance of the election of 1896 was that although the Populists lost the electoral vote substantially, the popular vote was very close.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Small farmers in the American South underwent a transition marked by economic anxiety and dissatisfaction with established elites.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The Populists laid out their proposals and agenda for change, which generated debate on their effectiveness.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The shared identity of most populist movements is dissatisfaction with the behavior of established elites.</p> Signup and view all the answers