Progressive Party

Examples of Progressive Party in the following topics:

• The Election of 1924

  • Coolidge’s candidacy was aided by a split within the Democratic Party that caused liberals to vote for a third-party Progressive candidate.
  • La Follette of Wisconsin, who ran as the candidate of the Progressive Party.
  • Representative and Governor of Wisconsin, was originally a Republican and launched his Progressive Party as a vehicle for his vocal opposition to World War I, the League of Nations and railroad trusts.
  • The 1924 Progressive Party, comprised solely of La Follette supporters, was different than the party of the same name that ran Theodore Roosevelt for president in 1912; the new Progressives were generally agrarian, populist and Midwestern as opposed to Roosevelt’s urban, eastern elite following.
  • Robert La Follette's Progressive Party politics drew support away from the Democrats in 1924, hurting the Davis campaign and helping Coolidge to an overwhelming election victory.

• Taft and Roosevelt

  • Differences between Republicans Taft and Roosevelt served to split the Republican party, resulting in Democrat Wilson's win in 1912.
  • The results of the 1910 elections made it clear to Taft that Roosevelt no longer supported his presidency, and that he might even contend for the party nomination in 1912.
  • Taft acknowledged this, saying, "the longer I am President, the less of a party man I seem to become. " In February, 1912, Roosevelt declared his candidacy for the Republican nomination.
  • As a result of Taft's success in securing the nomination, Roosevelt and his group of disgruntled party members officially split from the party to create the Progressive Party (or "Bull Moose Party") ticket, splitting the Republican vote in the 1912 election.
  • Although the 1912 election was a disaster for the Republicans, Taft was optimistic that defeat would force Republicans "to gather again to the party standard and pledge anew their faith in their party's principles. " In other words, Taft saw his defeat as an opportunity for the fractured Republican party, plagued by political bickering and scandal, to reunite around the conservative party standard in future political contests.

• Social Justice

  • Politically, progressives belonged to a wide range of parties: with leaders from both the Democratic and Republican parties as well as the Bull-Moose Republicans, Lincoln–Roosevelt League Republicans (in California) and the United States Progressive Party.
  • Rather than any dominating party affiliation, therefore, American progressives shared a common goal of wielding federal power to pursue a sweeping range of social, environmental, political, and economic reforms.
  • The Progressive Era witnessed an increasing interest in social reforms.
  • Leading intellectuals also shaped the political and social progressive mentality.
  • In sum, the "Progressive Era" is a broadly construed term that refers to a myriad of social, cultural, and political reform movements advocated by otherwise disparate interest groups and political parties that were reacting to the modernizing, industrializing economic and social situation that arose by the turn of the century.

• The Varieties of Progressivism

  • Politically, progressives of this era belonged to a wide range of parties: with leaders from both the Democratic and Republican parties, the Bull-Moose Republicans, Lincoln–Roosevelt League Republicans (in California) and the United States Progressive Party.
  • Rather than any dominating party affiliation, therefore, American progressives shared a common goal of wielding federal power to pursue a sweeping range of social, environmental, political, and economic reforms.
  • Early progressive thinkers such as John Dewey and Lester Ward placed a universal and comprehensive system of education at the top of the progressive agenda, reasoning that if a democracy was to be successful the general public needed to be educated.
  • Progressives advocated to expand and improve public and private education at all levels.
  • Pro-labor progressives such as Samuel Gompers argued that industrial monopolies were unnatural economic institutions which suppressed the competition which was necessary for progress and improvement.

• The Progressive Insurgency and the Election of 1912

  • The United States presidential election of 1912 was a three-way contest between incumbent William Howard Taft (renominated by the Republican Party with the support of the conservative wing), former president Theodore Roosevelt (nominated by the Progressive, or Bull-MooseParty), and Democrat Woodrow Wilson.
  • Debs also ran again as the nominee of the Socialist Party of America.
  • With few exceptions, the Socialist party had weak or nonexistent links to local labor unions.
  • Failing to make itself a believable third party, the Bull Moose Party ended up losing strength.
  • However, the Taft conservatives managed to solidly control the Republican platform from 1912 to 1928, and thus some Progressives began to move towards the more liberal Democratic party in the 1920s.

• The Limits of Progressivism

  • Although the Progressive Era was a period of social progress, it also had multiple, contradictory goals that impeded reform efforts.
  • Although the Progressive Era was a period of broad reform movements and social progress, it was also characterized by loose, multiple, and contradictory goals that impeded the efforts of reformers and often pitted political leaders against one another, most drastically in the Republican Party.
  • Furthermore, despite the Bull Moose Party's declaration of a Progressive Party Platform, the American public viewed it more as coalition of fervent Roosevelt supporters, rather than any comprehensive party platform that accounted for the range of Progressive concerns.
  • There is much scholarly debate over the end of the Progressive Era.
  • Link emphasized, the Progressives did not simply roll over and play dead.

• Progressive Government: City and State

  • Progressives took on local governments in attempts to improve efficiency and destroy political corruption.
  • Prior to the secret ballot, ballots were colored papers printed by the political parties.
  • Progressives also sought to combat the power party leaders wielded over which candidates would be nominated.
  • Before the primary was introduced, the party leaders or party faithful were the only ones allowed to nominate candidates.
  • Assess the impact of progressive reform at the city and state levels

• From Roosevelt to Taft

  • In 1908, Theodore Roosevelt persuaded the Republican Party to nominate William Howard Taft to run against Democratic candidate William Bryan.
  • Despite these two previous defeats, Bryan remained extremely popular among the more liberal and populist elements of the Democratic Party.
  • Bryan campaigned on a progressive platform attacking "government by privilege."
  • However, Taft undercut Bryan's liberal support by accepting some of his reformist ideas, and Roosevelt's progressive policies blurred the distinctions between the two parties.
  • Businessmen continued to support the Republican Party, and Bryan failed to fully secure the support of labor.

• Conclusion: The Successes and Failures of Progressivism

  • Leading politicians from both parties, most notably Theodore Roosevelt, Charles Evans Hughes, and Robert LaFollette on the Republican side, and William Jennings Bryan and Woodrow Wilson on the Democratic side, took up the cause of progressive reform.
  • The Progressive Movement lasted through the 1920s; the most active period was 1900–18.
  • Furthermore, racism often pervaded most progressive reform efforts, as evidenced by the suffrage movement.
  • Additionally, the Era also characterized by loose, multiple, and contradictory goals that impeded the efforts of reformers and often pitted political leaders against one another, most drastically in the Republican Party.
  • Summarize the successes and failures of Progressive efforts during this era

• Middle-Class Reformers

  • After 1900 the Progressive Era brought political and social reforms, such as new roles for education and a higher status for women.
  • After 1900, the Progressive Era brought political and social reforms, such as new roles for education and a higher status for women, as well as modernizing many areas of government and society.
  • The progressives worked through new middle class organizations to fight against the corruption and behind-the-scenes power of entrenched state party organizations and big city machines.
  • The hammering impact of Progressive Era writers bolstered aims of certain sectors of the population, especially a middle class caught between political machines and big corporations, to take political action.
  • Beside presidents such as Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson , she was the most prominent reformer of the Progressive Era and helped turn the nation to issues of concern to mothers, such as the needs of children, public health, and world peace.