Goals of the Progressive Era Essay - 1051 Words

The term Progressivism implies a philosophy that promotes change/reform in the current political, economic, and social aspects of society while conservatism stresses gradual change in society but promotes tradition rather than change. The Progressive movement from 1901 to 1917 worked to improve aspects of society that grew out of problems which occurred during the Industrial Age. The goals of the Progressives were to stop monopolies, corruption, inefficiency and social injustices. Both progressive acts and amendments were being passed to deal with social ills, corruption in politics and corporate America. The period from 1901-1917 was more a victory for liberalism, mainly modern liberalism, than a triumph of conservatism due to the†¦show more content†¦Through busting the bad trusts Theodore attempted to stop monopolies from forming. This is an example of government intervention to remedy the effects of capitalism and a liberal practice. He also started the progressive or th e Bull Moose party. Clearly, these reform movements as well as the busting of trusts move away from the traditional aspect of politics and promotes autonomy of the individual as well as strong government to remedy the defects of capitalism, both liberal ideals. Furthermore, economics also played a key role in describing whether liberalism or conservatism triumphed in this era. President William Howard Taft encouraged a policy known as Dollar Diplomacy where the United States invested in foreign countries in order to gain power. This dollar diplomacy would make money for as well strengthen the US. Later Taft went on to become more of a trust buster than Roosevelt. His most noteworthy bust was the Standard Oil Company, one of the largest trusts of the time, which was ordered to be broken into smaller companies in 1911. He then went on to attack another one of the largest trusts, The US Steel company which Roosevelt had allowed to survive since he deemed it as a good trust. Roosevelt became furious as Taft when he heard of this. Taft then passed the Payne-Aldrich bill which he unwisely named the best bill that the Republican Party ever passed which split the Republican Party into old school/moreShow MoreRelatedProgressive Era And Liberal Era13 82 Words   |  6 Pages DBQ Progressive Era Essay Many citizens throughout the Progressive Era believed no changes occurred in the society because the press did not write about the changes and the Woman’s Suffrage Movement did not change either. However, changes such as the government changing, both the labor and meat inspection reforms, and trusts reforms indeed brought about change, noticeable or not. Therefore, the Progressive era brought great social, political, and economic change by bettering the overall lives ofRead MoreEssay about The Progressive Era: Conflicting Viewpoints1651 Words   |  7 PagesThe Progressive Era: Conflicting Viewpoints Works Cited Missing Two people witnessing the same event can have very different views on it depending on their information and perspective. The presentation of history also changes depending on the resources and prior prejudices and personal views of the historian. Four historian’s interpretations on the Progressive Era and Progressivism were reviewed to determine whether their arguments and use of evidence were sound. Also, the particular knownRead MoreThe Progressive Era And The New Deal1103 Words   |  5 Pagestraditions of the Progressive Era. When examining the New Deal, Progressive influence is evident based first off of the social and political issues addressed by reforms. 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