Populist Party’s Platform

The democrat troupe commonly refereed to as the peoples ships company was a relatively short lived governmental party inside the United States during the 19th century. It was particularly popular within western farmers since it was admitly opposed to the gold standard system of inter content trade. However the party did not last long in United States politics.Regardless of this fact the partys ideas or manifestos exact been employed in United States politics even to date. In essence the party grew out of an agrarian uprising especi whollyy after the collapse of agricultural prices in 1873. It arose from a farmers compact of farmers who had an economic target of collective action against merchants, brokers and rail roads as headspring as an unified nation wide policy.Most importantly the driving force towards the creation of the party arose from the refusal of both the democrats and the republi crowd outs to accommodate the farmers whollyiance idea of the use of silver as t he national model of coinage.SHORT HISTORYThe Populist Party or the peoples party was formed by the farmers alliance in coaction with the knights of labor. This initial formation took place between the years 1899 and 1890. The actual realization of their dreams was in 1892 when the party held its annual convention in Nebraska.This is the time that the party actually put forward members for the first time for national elections. In 1896 the democrats incorporated ideas of the peoples party 1892 platform and this negatively impacted on the partys progress. In addition the ensuing collabo symmetryn between the democrats and the Populist Party did not auger well with the already existing relation between the populists and the republicans in the south. This marked the onset of the partys origin in United States politics.THE 1892 PARTY PLATFORMThe Populist Partys 1892 platform was commonly refereed to as the Omaha platform since it w3as held in Omaha Nebraska. In this platform the Pop ulist Party demanded the followingComplete overhaul of all national banks. This was aimed at reducing the risk to citizens of excessive exploitation by these corporations.Immediate Imposition of direct election of senators within the United States was demanded as well. This was directed at reducing the prevalence of corruption and graft in the voting system. It was also aimed at increasing public participation in the electoral process, as well as to reduce instances of insider trading within the big parties.The platform also sought conterminous introduction of civil dish reforms. In the preamble of the manifesto the party claimed that the time had come for the railroads to experience the people or the people to own the railroads. For the later to happen there was need to introduce positive amendments to make sure that the government would not use the power of the employees to intimidate the people. Thus civil service reforms and regulations had to be introduced to prevent this. The platform also demanded the introduction of a national wide graduated income impose system.The introduction of a legal eight hours working day and the introduction of government control of all railroads. The platform also demanded the introduction of unlimited coinage of silver and gold at the existing ratio of 16 to 1.The platform also demanded that the state introduce postal savings banks for the interest of all citizens in order to facilitate foreign exchange.The platform also claimed that land and any other natural sources of enrichment frame the peoples heritage and thus should not be monopolized or misused and further unknown ownership of this should not be entertained.ANALYSISThe Omaha platform was well received throughout the United States. This was generally due(p) to the fact that most of the partys ideas were overly practical and implemental. In addition the party was trying to prevent a scenario of continued dominance by the democrats and republicans for what the party called political power and plunder.The party also sought to return power to the people by reducing the vices inflicted by the capitalists on laborers by reducing the dominance of gold in trade. The Omaha platform also sought to return the powers of the government to the discipline people from where the powers actually originated. The purposes of the platform the party claimed were to be identical to the purposes of the national constitution.Despite its decline in popularity in United States politics, some of its ideas have come to be endorsed in mainstream governance and politics. A hefty example of this is the abolition of the gold standard. In this field the partys 1892 platform highly demanded the abolition of this sys tem but it was not until the 1970s that the gold-standard was actually abolished as the common exchange system.In earnest we can thus argue that the demands put forward by the party were not only modern in nature but also widely visionary, since it has tak en more than a generation for the other political partys to adopt/implement these policies.In addition the partys platform could be described as having been Progressive in the sense that the introduction to the manifesto detailed splendidly the causes that make their demands justifiable. Among these issues included the fact that the party claimed that there was widespread corruption compounded by political and chaste degradation within the American public.CONCLUSIONAlthough the peoples party 1892 manifesto contained quite progressive ideas the party was quite short-lived in American politics. By 1896 during the next national elections, the Democratic Party took most of the peoples party ideas and incorporated them in their platform. In addition the party nominated a democrat (William Jennings) as their presidential candidate. After this scenario the party started to decline in popularity within national politics.In the year 1984 plans were already underway to revive the Populist Pa rty. These efforts did not bear fruit due to internal party conflicts. In 2002 a new group emerged the populist party of America emerged. It is actively opposed to the bush administration especially on the issue of the war in Iraq. It also advocates for stiff adherence to the bill of rights as well as direct democracy. It has yet to field presidential candidates. credit ratinghttp//www2.wwnorton.com/college/history/eamerica/media/ch22/resources/documents/populist.htm