HIST 011 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Henry Demarest Lloyd, Lincoln Steffens, William Jennings Bryan
Document Summary
Progressivism: the ideas and work that went into improving life in the industrial age. People wanted to build on their existing society, making moderate political change and social improvements through gov"t action. Progressives are not revolutionaries but shared the goals of limited the power of big business, improving democracy for the ppl and strengthening social justice. Wwi diverted public attention away from domestic issues but not bfore major regulatory laws were enacted. Middle class were alarmed by rising power of big business, uncertainties of business cycles, inc gap btwn rich and poor, violent conflict in cities. Minorities were disturbed by the jim crow laws in the south; women seeked suffrage/greater democracy. : protestants, african americans, unions, feminists loosely linking these reform efforts under a single label was a belief that society badly needed changes and that gov"t was the proper agency for correcting social and econ ills.
