Populism in the 1890’sFarmers’ Alliance- Similar to the grangers, but national- Targeted banks, railroads, big businesses, and government officials- Cooperatives wont change the worldIgnatius Donnelly- Atlantis theory started mania- Started career in politics as a Republican and abolitionist- Granger->Farmers AllianceThe People’s Party- Farmers alliance and other groups- AKA populist party- Repeated demands of KOL, free silver, grangers, and farmers allianceThe Omaha Platform- Free coinage of silver and the issuance of large amounts of paper money- Public ownership of railroads, telegraphs, and banks- A graduated income tax- Small and honest government- Omaha convention also asserted the need for an 8hr dayJames Weaver- Abolitionist, republican, and union general- Active in the greenback party and farmers alliance- Helped found peoples party- Ran for president in 1892-lost- African American southerners, western miners, MW farmers, organized NorthHarrison and Cleveland- Populism became a factor- Panic of 1893o 17%-19% unemployment3 Factors the Contributed to Panic and Recession- Problems in the railroad and banking industries- The Sherman Silver Purchase Act and Silver Noteso required U.S. government to purchase silver at inflated prices to get silver off the market- The McKinley Tariff1896 Election- Republicans unpopular- Bourbon Democrats-wealthy business elitesWilliam Jennings Bryan- Lawyer, not politician- Advocated bimetallism- Populist leading Democrats- Cross of Gold speech- Gained Nomination of Dem. Party and peoples partyo Led to the new Democratic party today- Railed against crime of 1873o Coinage act -> eliminated silverWilliam McKinley- Career politician since civil war- Supporter of Tariffs, gold, and eastern elites- Big business and skilled workers supported himThe 1896 election marked the end of the 3rd party system-> 4th party systemRealignment-Rise of the 4th Party System- New Issueso Labor issueso Regulation of businesso Reform of the banking systemo Electoral and political reformo Increased debate over foreign policy- People Shifting Partieso Democratic Party is more sympathetic to the pooro GOP is more business friendlyo GOP-oriented farmers in N and MW start to move towards the Democratic partyo Southern business men move to GOP- Rise of Class Conflicto Start of move toward politics of class and wealtho Rich vs. Poor/ Wall street vs. Main Street- Pluralismo Political power is determined by a number of different interest groups such as unionso Different groups lobby the government for their own benefit, or come together to forge coalitions in order to achieve political power- New Campaigning and Fundraising Tacticso Bryan’s very active and mobile approach to campaigningo Mark Hanna/McKinley increased fundraising efforts Front porch campaignMark Hanna- Similar to McKinley- Asked for campaign contributions- Out spent opponents 10:1Deciding factors in the Election- Bourbon Democrats moved to Republicans- Mugwumps moved to Republicans- Silver Republicans went to
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