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Progressivism: United States
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Yet, despite the [B]road appeal of such pleas for reform, the diverse elements attracted to Progressivism constituted an unstable amalgam. In some cases at least, Progressivism as a political force at the city and state level seems to have changed, over time, both its character and its electoral base. In Detroit, for instance, Hazen Pingree, a self-made businessman and president of the Republican Michigan Club, was elected mayor in 1890 as a ‘good government’ candidate in the aftermath of Grand jury revelations of corruption in municipal contracts. He began by instituting a number of economy measures and securing the indictment of corrupt school board members. However, he became engaged in a long contest with the street railway company and other public utilities for lower rates and better service, and ... in an attempt to achieve a more equitable tax system. In addition, he refused to enforce liquor legislation strictly, and in the severe depression of 1893-95 sought energetically to aid the unemployed, most notably through his ‘potato patch’ plan.
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Nor was Progressivism the domain of just one political party, as both Republicans and Democrats vied with each other to see who could more thoroughly expand the state. Republicans, led by Theodore Roosevelt and Sen. Robert LaFollette of Wisconsin, pushed for high tariffs, government ownership of natural resources, antitrust legislation, and imperialistic adventures abroad.
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The most successful revisionist statement has been Daniel Rodgers 1982 essay, "In Search of Progressivism." Rejecting both group-based explanations and simplistic ideological typologies, Rodgers described Progressivism as three distinct but overlapping "languages of discontent" that echoed the "tendencies" described by De Witt in 1914: antimonopolism, a rhetoric of social harmony, and demands for efficiency. In Rodgers' formulation, these categories were not systematic sets of ideas but rather ways of talking about society. The chief virtue of this approach was its flexibility: Progressives could use these languages in different ways and for different (sometimes opposing) purposes. Scholars could ... place a myriad of activities by a variety of groups under the heading Progressivism without necessarily having to resolve the contradictions and inconsistencies among them.
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![[picture of Professor Martin]](http://retrieverimages.lycos.com/images/p/r/o/progressivism/i/002.jpg)
Martin: Traditionally, scholars speak of Progressivism as the various middle class reform efforts to alleviate problems associated with the wrenching changes the United States experienced at the turn of the century. Urbanization, immigration, industrialization led to much dislocation and suffering. Child labor laws, women's suffrage, banking reform, settlement houses for urban women in need, and improved food safety are areas of traditional Progressive concern.
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