Economics Trumps Ideology week 3 dissc 1 - Essay Example

Economics Trumps Ideology inserts his/her The Populist movement was a war waged by the peasants, and middle workers of Southern and Midwestern USA against the Republican and Democratic parties. The peasants and middle class laborers represented the lower class of the US society, while the republican and democratic parties represented the upper strata of the US society. This war was waged by the farmers and middle class workers owing to lack of attention directed to their problems and hardships.

The farmers were fraught in a multitude of problems in the early nineteenth century. They faced financial crisis, falling prices, poor crop harvest and lack of adequate marketing facilities. As a result, the Populist movement was launched in 1890s with the aim of resolving the hardships confronted by the peasants and the working class. It was organized to seek financial assistance and to aid the farmers and laborers in improvement of their work activities (Wormser, 2002). The formation of Populist movement was based on economics as the farmers and the working-class faced paucity of finances to run their work operations effectively.

This was attributed to the prevalent economic recession in USA in early 19th century, which lowered the revenues, and dragged the farmers and laborers in losses. Thus, it is difficult to separate the economic and ideological principles while defining the Populist movement. This is because the economic concepts of slump and recession and falling prices are explained as a major reason of the problems faced by the working laborers leading to organizing Populist movement. Likewise, the ideology of the working class and the Republican and Democratic parties is emphasized while explaining the tussle between these two classes.

James Weaver was the head of the Populist movement or the People’s Party. Initially, the party met with success under his presidency and formed coalitions of white and black laborers against the federal government. This coalition managed to take over the state of North Carolina in 1896, which was an initial victory for the party. However, the success was transitory. The reliance on traditions made it difficult for the members of Populist movement to cope up with the transformations taking place in the business environment.

The racial discrimination found between the black and white laborers blocked the chances of success, and ultimately led to failure of the Populists. The role of economics in killing the Populist movement was evident. The financial crisis arising from the racial discrimination between the black and white coalitions of the laborers and the peasants led to failure of the Populist movement. The monetary system could not flourish owing to lack of harmony between the black and white labor classes. This consequently crippled the financial system driving the labor class, and hence brought Populist movement to a standstill pose (Wormser, 2002).

ReferencesWormser, R. (2002).The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow. Jim Crow Stories. Available at: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/stories_org_populist.htmlTop of Form