The Progressive and the New Deal Reformers

The Progressive and the New Deal Reformers
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The Progressive and the New Deal Reformers
America’s history is anchored on the different phases that it underwent to advance its position as a leader in various global trends. The country transformed to match changes in human needs or even to alter the social trajectory of the world. In the early 20th century, the progressive reformers and the New Deal reformers marked leadership of the trajectory that America was taking in different trajectories including politically, socially, and economically. The two formations operated at varying times. As such, they faced different challenges thereby warranting unique solutions. To the reformist organizations, the intended changes stemmed from insightfully developed strategies. In this analysis, emphasis is put on exploring the goals, programs, and policies of progressive reformers and the New Deal reformers within the period between 1900 and 1940. Understanding the variations between the two reformers is critical to exploring how unique policies, goals, and programs combined to define the political, social, and economic trajectories of the US in the early 20th century.
Progressive Reformers
The progressive reformers were a notable force for change in the early 20th century going by their intent. The progressive era began slightly before 1900 and a few years after 1920. During the progressive era, challenges such as inefficiency, waste, corruption, and monopoly plagued America’s progress. This was the same period when the US was undergoing industrialization extensively. From the middle to the end of the progressive era, the nation also had to contend with the challenge of World War I. The progressive reformers intended to address the above challenges that America was facing at the time. To achieve the objective of reverting America to its ideal socio-political and economic path, which was disrupted following the occurrences of the challenges above, progressive reformers set to pursue unique goals, programs, and policies.[Shulman Max and J. Chris Westgate. 2019. Performing the Progressive Era: Immigration Urban Life and Nationalism on Stage. Iowa City: University of Iowa Press.]
There were notable goals that the progressive reformers fostered during their reign. Primary among the goals was the need for social justice. With the growing industrialization in the US, there were a range of social justice breaches that the country was facing. Some of such breaches were poor working conditions and child labor, ills that stemmed from growing industrialization and increasing demand for labor at the time. The second goal for progressive reformers would be to instill political reforms. At the turn of the century, the US was indulged in political challenges including voting rights inequalities and extensive corruption. To the reformists, part of the agenda would constitute a direct election of senators and direct primaries. The third goal for the reformists was economic regulations. As industries expanded, business organizations exploited their power to fuel challenges like corruption. Hence, the progressive reformers pushed for regulations of big businesses and monopolies to protect consumers and steer fair competition. The final goal for the progressive reformers was women’s suffrage. Progressivists advocated for the political rights of women, especially the right to vote.[Shulman Max and J. Chris Westgate. 2019. ] [Frankel Noralee Nancy Schrom Dye and Conference on Women in the Progressive Era. 1991. Gender Class Race and Reform in the Progressive Era.]
Besides the above goals, the progressive reformers further programs and policies that were meant to help them achieve the goals. First among the notable programs and policies were labor reforms. During the progressive era, labor reforms were introduced in aspects like workers’ compensation, the safety of working conditions, and the initiation of the minimum working hours. The labor programs and policies were aimed at addressing the malpractices stemming from the increasing demand for labor at the time. The second program at the time was trust-busting. Trust busting implied the fight against major corporations that were using their resources to influence the ills that the progressivists were addressing. Leaders like President Theodore Roosevelt and William Taft pursued antitrust suits against major corporations. The trust-busting initiatives addressed fair competition needs and the requirement to eliminate mo...