HIST 202: Part 1; Lesson 6 "What is Populism?"; "When We Hear Populism."

What was the farmers' "debt squeeze"?

1. The farmer must take out money to farm (credit) but they don't make any money from their crop because of the high mortgages 2. Era of falling prices (deflation)

Who were the "parasites"?

1. bankers 2. lawyers 3. gamblers 4. liquor dealers 5. contract labor Asian immigrants

What were the 3 Gilded Age anti-monopoly movements?

1.The Knights of Labor 2.Populist Party 3.Anti-Sherman Act

What was the Knights of Labor and what were its goals?

A union founded in 1869. National union of workers that used a fraternity model to create a community of "producers" that excluded "parasites"

How did the opponents of 1890s Populists attempt to discredit the movement?

Accuse them of socialism. Texas party leader, Thomas Nugent, was willing to live with the socialist label if it lead to reforms to make life better for common people

What was the Sherman Anti-Trust Act?

Small town capitalists that couldn't compete with trusts that feared loss of small town harmony and community.

What does the word "populism" identify when it is used today?

Usually used to identify the right-wing authoritarian leader who cynically appeals to the fears & prejudices of the masses to gain & hold political power.

What was the Jeffersonian Ideal?

-public education, free voting, free press, limited government and agrarian democracy and shied away from aristocratic rule.

What were the goals of the Knights of Labor?

1. 8 Hour day 2. Health and Safety laws 3. End child and convict labor 4. Equal pay for women

Whom did farmers blame for their problems?

1. Bankers 2. Railroads 3. Middlemen

How did labor change during the Gilded Age?

1. More wage workers 2. Impersonal workplace 3. Unstable economy 4. Violent strikes 5. Increasing economic inequality

What farmers' problems does the song, "The Farmer Is the Man," identify?

1. The farmer feeds everyone, but he is poor and can't make any money because of the "elite" bankers and lawyers and corporations 2. The high mortgage of crop loans

What features did the Gilded Age anti-monopoly movements share?

All had conservative goals with radical solutions. Hated trusts and big business. -populist language= people vs the elite - government regulation= modern liberalism

What was the People's (or Populist) Party ?

Antimonopoly party formed by agrarian populism members

Why did small town capitalists supported Anti- Trust Act?

Believed it was a crime to conspire to restrain competition or monopolize commerce.

What were the goals and solutions of the anti monopoly movements?

Conservative Goals: 1. Restore ideal past 2. Producer's republic Radical Solutions: 1. Reject Laissez-faire individualism for government regulation

What were the features of Texas populism in the 1890s?

Elected populist sheriffs who protected the lives, property & voting rights of black constituents. -included women in its councils & conventions -3 African Americans served on the Populist state executive committee -a strong government to protect the lives, liberty, and property of citizens.

What did anti-monopoly movement fear? Why, in particular, did they oppose the "trusts"?

Felt there was a sense of national crisis: they believe the monopolies were a Corporate Elite vs. "The people"

How do populists view their political mission?

Populist view their political mission as "essentially moral." The distinction between the elite & the people is not based on how much money you have or even what kind of position you have—it's based on your values.

Populists split society into which two groups?

Homogenous- pure people Antagonistic- corrupt elite

What are the main features of the populist "style of rhetoric"?

It puts ordinary people against a self-serving elite, playing to a sense that the political establishment has grown corrupt & unresponsive to the needs of ordinary people.

continued...What was the Jeffersonian Ideal?

Nation of Yeoman Farmers (independent family farms) and a Producer's Republic (your labor and the fruits of your labor are your own)

Why aren't populists political pluralists?

Political pluralist is what political scientist call a "liberal democracy"—on the idea that you have different groups with different values & interests. Populists are NOT pluralists; they consider just one group to be "the people."

Why is populism called a "thin ideology"?

Populism only deals with a small part of a political agenda. It kicks out the political establishment, but does not specify what should replace it. It is usually paired with "thicker" left- or right- wing ideologies like socialism or nationalism.

How do populists leaders see themselves after they come into power?

Populist have managed to portray themselves as victims-- even at the height of their power, blaming shortcomings on sabotage by shady domestics or foreign elites.

What was the outcome of the 1896 U.S. Presidential election—who and what party won and from what region did it get most of its votes?

Populist party fuses with democratic party but loses because of the rural and urban split

What were People's Party goals?

Restore producers republic

What were the main beliefs of the followers of the Populist movement of the 1890s?

They believed that the "interest" were aligned against the common people. Notably new industrial age corporations monopolized—no protection for worker, consumer or the farmer.

What was the birthplace of the Populist/ People's Party?

Texas was one of the birthplaces of the party—home to more populist than any other state.

According to Uri Friedman, why is Trump unique among the world's populist leaders?

The "amateurism" of Trump is unique. He has been inconsistently populist; he consistently opposed elites, nativist attitude toward immigrants, & thicker ideologies. -Trump the politician = a populist radical-right politician

What plan did the Populists of the 1890s embrace to "ease the severe credit crunch that impoverished so many farmers"?

The "sub treasury plan" which called for the federal government to establish a nationwide network of warehouses where farmers could deposit their crops & receive low-interest government loans, paid in paper money--which would take country off gold standard.

Which political party from the 1890s gave populism its name?

The People's Party—the most serious 3rd party movement since the Republican Party.

Who do populists leaders think they represent?

They "alone" represent "the people"-they lay claim to 100% of support of good, hardworking folks who have been exploited.

What is a "producers' republic"?

Wealth should belong to the producer, not the owner of the corporation, who didn't even make the product.

Populist are ?

dividers; do not unite

What did conservatives mean when they advocated a laissez-faire approach to the industrial economy?

failures get what they deserve

Why did farmers favor inflation?

so that they could make money on their crops