Sunday, May 3, 2015

What was the overall outcome of the Grange Alliance and the Farmer's Alliance?

The Grange and the Farmer's Alliance were late-19th century grass-roots political movements derived from the interests of the rural poor. They began as cooperative social networks of farmers who sought to protect themselves from the incursions of big business. The changing nature of industry in late-19th century America put small farms increasingly at risk. They were being overwhelmed by larger agricultural companies and the predatory practices of the Gilded Age economy and felt increasingly marginalized by politicians in league with corporate interests like the railroads.
One of the outcomes of these movements was the growth of populism. Populism found expression at the Federal level in the People's Party or Populist Party, founded in 1892. The Populists joined the Democrats through the populist Presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan in the election of 1896. Their platform included the "Free Silver" movement and monetary reform, ideas the populists felt would make the economy more just. Many of the principles first advocated by the Grange and Farmer's Alliance found expression in the Progressive movement and the antitrust legislation of the early 20th century. But as time went on, industrial progress and the changing nature of agriculture continued to threaten the small family farm.

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