What are the main causes of the progressive movement?
Put at its simplest… the cause is that things are not good enough yet, and so we progress incrementally toward better things.A few xxamples would include…The fact that there are still billions of people living in deadly poverty, without access to clean water, basic facilities, reliable or qualitative food, opportunity to advance in life, et cetera.The fact that people are still assaulting and/or devaluing each other based on quibbles like the amount of melanin in their skin, the gender or sexual alignment they were born with, or the religion they were raised on.The fact that human consumption is destroying the paper-thin global ecosystem we cannot possibly live without, and that the ultra-rich are working particularly hard to undermine any organized cooperation around the world to curtail these practices and ensure our future survival.’The list gets vastly longer with increased nuance, but that should at least place in the the mental ballpark that progressives work from.
What was the progressive movement?
Started mainly with Roosevelt (around that time). The progressive movement is anti capitalistic (pro socialistic systems). They differ from liberals in that liberals are pro capitalists. Progressives are sometimes mistaken for liberals. Progressives believe in amending the Constitution of the United States in order to lift capitalistic elements of freedom in belief that socialist programs are the solution. Having socialist attributes the believe in the redistribution of wealth. President Obama is a good example of a progressive and also Hillary Clinton. Progressives also do not implement their agenda all at once but little by little over years or even decades (progressively)
To what extent did the progressive movement succeed? To what extent did it fail?
The biggest failures was that the progressive Movement did not address racial issues. The success of progressivism owed much to publicity generated by the muckrakers, writers who detailed the horrors of poverty, urban slums, dangerous factory conditions, and child labor, among a host of other ills. Successes were many, beginning with the Interstate Commerce Act (1887) and the Sherman Antitrust Act (1890). Progressives never spoke with one mind and differed sharply over the most effective means to deal with the ills generated by the trusts; some favored an activist approach to trust-busting, others preferred a regulatory approach. A vocal minority supported socialism with government ownership of the means of production. Other progressive reforms followed in the form of a conservation movement, railroad legislation, and food and drug laws. The progressive spirit also was evident in new amendments added to the Constitution (text), which provided for a new means to elect senators, protect society through prohibition and extend suffrage to women. Urban problems were addressed by professional social workers who operated settlement houses as a means to protect and improve the prospects of the poor. However, efforts to place limitations on child labor were routinely thwarted by the courts. The needs of African Americans and Native Americans were poorly served or served not at all — a major shortcoming of the progressive movement. Progressive reforms were carried out not only on the national level, but in states and municipalities. Prominent governors devoted to change included Robert M. La Follette of Wisconsin and Hiram Johnson of California. Such reforms as the direct primary, secret ballot, and the initiative, referendum, and recall were effected. Local governments were strengthened by the widespread use of trained professionals, particularly with the city manager system replacing the frequently corrupt mayoral system.
Was the Progressive Movement successful? Why or why not?
I would suggest that the movement has only just really begun. Their biggest achievement was getting Obama elected. It’s likely Hillary will follow in his footsteps. The big difference between Progressives and Tea Partiers are that Progressives represent the most prevalent and sane members of the Democratic party or liberal movement in general, and the Tea Party seemed to attract the fringe kooks of the Republican Party or conservative movement.I know a lot of Republican blowhards want to equate the Progressives as being just as out there as the Tea Partiers, but as far as this conservative is concerned, that’s just nonsense. I understand what the Tea Party Movement was about, but it just seemed be be more of the Religious Right trying to take deeper control over the GOP. They just can’t get it through their thick skulls that religion and politics DO NOT MIX. If the GOP intends to pander to the religious right, the Democratic party will continue to dominate, and that’s coming from a conservative ordained minister. My religious views have nothing to do with my political views, nor should they. Yes, there are inherently parts that have common goals, but that doesn’t mean that gives me authority to use my religious views to express the goals for the party.
What was The Progressive Movement? What was their importance?
The Progressive movement was formed around opposition to the corruption of the “machine politics” of the period. The core ideas were that the government could improve the nation and its citizens though more direct democracy, improved infrastructure, and improved education, as well as more use of experts in fields to study and create new solutions with science and technology.This would cause a split in the Republican party in the 1912 election when Teddy Roosevelt decided to run for a third term, and took his supporters with him to run with the Progressives when he lost the nomination to President Taft. To many, this was seen as a choice where the Republicans chose a candidate who would lose rather than lose the support of big business (Taft came in third, winning only 2 states.) The Democratic party responded over the next few decades be trying to get those Progressive voters to join them, and by 1932, they were able to put FDR into office with his very progressive programs.
What is the reason why the Progressive Movement began?
Because unchained capitalism does not work for most people. You need only look at history to see what conditions the public worked under and how they were fleeced by businesses making phony claims and hazardous products. The progressive movement started in response to these condition. It was called progressive because it aimed to change peoples lives for the better. The Progressive Era (1890 - 1920)
What is the progressive movement’s solution to poverty?
I’m not sure they have one, I don’t think anyone does. I think that what most Americans would like to see is equal opportunity, not necessarily equal results. How to get there is very contentious though.Traditionally the progressive movement advocates for minimum wage, welfare programs and better opportunities for education. In my opinion, those are all good things but I believe we could do them better. If it were up to me, I would focus mostly on education and training but it’s tough because there is a social component to all this that is hard to overcome. If you’ve read Hillbilly Elegy, it basically describes the same situation that has happened in inner cities.Children learn from the people around them and without any role models or encouragers in their lives, it’s very difficult to pull yourself up by the bootstraps so to speak. Imagine growing up in a situation where no one ever expected anything of you, nobody ever encouraged you to do better, no one ever treated you like you might be worth something. Then imagine how hard it would be to come up with that idea all by yourself having never heard it or seen it anywhere amongst “your people”.Barring some massive grassroots efforts in the form of volunteer tutors, older brother/sister programs, and revitalization of neighborhoods, this is going to be really tough. I say that as someone who does believe in a living wage (dependent on the state costs of living), and welfare for people who are struggling to make ends meet. Basically I believe that measures taken have to be holistic in order to work.I don’t think that most progressives believe that they can save everyone from poverty, more like we should make it easier to rise out from it while investing in the future generation so they don’t have to get stuck in the same old cycle. Also, in this land of so much wealth, there really shouldn’t be anyone hungry. We have enough food, enough to be throwing it away all the time, so why do I see people digging for half empty yogurt containers in the trash?