Compare And Contrast The Progressive Party And Populist Party

United States of America has gone through many economic, political, development stages, from its creation up to modern times. An important political movement happened in America after the urbanization period. The technological development and mechanization of work, influenced the country in different ways, according to particular areas. Two parties were created, the Populist Party and the Progressive Party. They both wanted to make radical changes in the states, but their goals, reforms and success, were distinct from each other.
To begin with, the party which was created first was the Populist. It was the farmers’ Alliances that initiated the creation of this party in 1890. From its name, it is clear that the Populist Party is supposed to protect the people’s rights and their needs. Meanwhile, in 1912 reformers from both Republican and Democratic Parties started to

As a third party it had to do something more to gain enough votes towards success. In the presidential election of 1896, the Populists nominated William Jennings Bryan as the president, joining with the Democrats. However, it was their obsession with silver that prevented the Populists from expanding their political appeal, by building an urban-rural coalition. Their insistence on silver brought failure, because it prevented the voters from focusing on more important reforms, they were afraid that the silver coinage would lower their wages. In contrast, the Progressives started to influence all classes with their reforms. They improved politics by allowing all voters to participate and propose new laws through the referendum, urged the adoption of initiative, the recall that gave voters the possibility to remove offending judges or officials from their posts, and the direct election of the senators, who up to that time were chosen by state legislatures (17th Amendment). Their goals were not only idealistic but also