Steven Higginbotham
History 6393, 20th Century U.S. History
Dr. Buzzanco
Goodwyn, Lawrence. Democratic Promise: The Populist Movement in America. Oxford
University Press: 1976.
In Democratic Promise, Goodwyn has written a profound and penetrating
analysis of the rise and fall of the largest mass democratic movement in American
history, Populism. Rising from the economic pain endured by farmers in the late 19 th
century, this movement generated an agenda which would have a long lasting
impact on American society. Goodwyn follows the development of the Populists from
their roots in the Southern Alliances and Greenback movements to their ultimate
downfall after the 1896 election.
One of the great strengths of this book is its success in conveying the culture of
the movement. Populism provided an alternative worldview, or Weltanschauung, in
which its members could find sanctuary from the dominant ideology of the day. This
oasis further nurtured the development of a group of citizens which felt empowered
to take the promise of democracy seriously; that is, they believed they were entitled
as citizens in a democracy to take a part in forging their own society. In this
process, farmers turned away from the extreme individualism encouraged in the
capitalist marketplace, and grew to favor increasing the role of cooperative economic
structures.
Arguing that Populist economic theories were wrongfully dismissed as
simplistic or irrational, Goodwyn delves deeply into the monetarist roots of Populist
economic theory – particularly the debate between “goldbugs” and fiat money
advocates. Indeed, Goodwyn argues convincingly that it is essential to view the rise
of Populism as in large part a response to a long term money supply contraction
after the Civil War.
After a long organizing struggle involving traveling lecturers and intense
organizing efforts, Alliance members seized upon cooperatives as a way to remedy
their dire situation. However, as a result of economic strangulation by the banks and
other institutions, many cooperatives failed. These setbacks led to the establishment
of the People’s (Populist) Party, an institution it was hoped could break through the
entrenched power of the two party system and their corporate masters. The Populist
Party put forth a diverse platform that addressed monetary issues, bimetallism,
railroads, land rights, government regulation of business, and perhaps the most
original of all their ideas, the creation of a sub-treasury system in which the
government would store surplus crops and pay farmers. Goodwyn argues that the
association of Populism with bimetallism was a distraction; that fiat money was the
goal of the Greenbackers and that the coinage of silver was a short-term fix that left
the larger problem of a constricted money supply in place. After the defeat of
William Jennings Bryan, the Populist morale failed, and the party folded.
This book is certainly required reading for all those interested in the populist
movement. The book more than satisfies its ambitions to provide a comprehensive,
detailed, and original account of the Populist Movement. Still, more could have been
said in regards to the relationship of African Americans and Populists, as well as the
effect of the Populist movement in contributing to the major shift in US foreign policy
as America entered a new imperialist phase to find markets for its surplus goods
abroad. Nevertheless, it is hard to find fault with the impressive scholarship in this
pioneering study.