Respuesta :
Hi there,
A modest library might easily be filled with all the volumes written debating this issue. The library grows to a substantial size when the articles and graduate seminar papers are included. It becomes much more convoluted when you include in the debate over whether it makes sense to separate the Gilded Age and the Progressive Era.
It was the moment when the American economy shifted from being primarily agrarian to being primarily industrial, which is the most obscenely straightforward response I can provide. as production shifted to factories. when immigration more than doubled. when popular politics became very complex. when the US economic system essentially cemented into the form it takes today. when social order shifted, was supported in some areas while becoming nonsensical in others. What does it all mean? There's a question, boy. While most history debates many topics, the GAPE (Gilded Age and Progressive Era) historiography is so wildly different that it is almost difficult to reach a consensus. The GAPE has been viewed by some historians as the beginning of a bureaucratized America. (See, for example, Weibe, Hays, Hofstadter, sort of.) Some historians believe it to be a period when capitalism in America became established (see — among many others — Kolko, Weinstein, and Sklar.) Some believe that democracy is expanding quickly at the moment (Johnston and Stromquist come to mind, tho they differ greatly on many things.) Others, like McGerr, Lasch (kind of), and to some extent, Gutman, saw it as a period of political indifference and a squandered opportunity to accomplish anything politically significant.
In a way, progressives reformed democracy.
(Concept: Democracy)
⇒ Government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agent under a free electoral system.
Progressives wanted to create a government that was more responsible and transparent in order to advance American society. These reformers supported legislation governing food safety, civil service reform, and expanded political rights for women and American workers.
How did the Progressive Era help America?
Numerous inventions and developments throughout the Progressive era contributed to the development of contemporary civilization. The question is how much of that can be attributed to progressivism and how much was merely the outcome of capitalism and technological development. The Progressive Left has always been adept at claiming credit for everything positive that occurs for whatever reason and shifting blame away from anything negative that it is responsible for or is connected to. Early in its development, progressivism was almost indistinguishable from fascism; nevertheless, now, they assert that they are the antidote to fascist. They are the greatest deceivers and innocent victimizers. The majority of the reforms they did manage to implement were disastrous for a functional human civilization.
Thank you,
Eddie
