Progressive Party (United States, 1912)

The Progressive Party was a political party in the United States. It was created in 1912 through the spin-off of the left ( progressive ) wing of the Republican Party before the presidential election this year. It was founded by Theodore Roosevelt, who had lost the Republican nomination to William Howard Taft and pulled off his delegates from the nominating convention.

The party was also known Bull Moose Party ( Elchbullenpartei ) after Roosevelt after an assassination attempt on him in spite of a bullet in the chest wanted to keep his campaign speech, saying: " It takes more than one bullet to bring down a Bull Moose" ( It takes more than one bullet to flip a bull moose ).

Presidential Election 1912

This statement from the program of the Progressive Party from August 1912, attributed to Theodore Roosevelt, and also cited in his autobiography, is a combination of trusts and monopolies (such as the Standard Oil Company ) to the two major parties and their leading candidate Woodrow Wilson and William Howard Taft ago. The vast majority of Republican governors, congressmen, editors and local officials refused to join the new party, even if they had previously supported Roosevelt. Hiram Johnson, Governor of California since 1910 and nominated for the vice presidential candidate of the Progressive, remained a member of the Republican Party, as its supporters had brought the Republicans in California under their control. However occurred many independent reformers, including Gifford Pinchot and his brother Amos Pinchot, in the Progressive Party. In addition, the party was able to win a number of sympathetic candidates from the Republican and Democratic party for elections at the state or federal level, 1912-1916. Only five of the 15 most prominent progressive set Republican senators supported the new party and Roosevelt's presidential nomination, three more came from the Democrats in the Wilson camp. Many of the closest political allies Roosevelt supported Taft, including his son Nicholas Longworth. Roosevelt's daughter Alice Roosevelt Longworth held to her father, which caused a permanent conflict in their marriage. For men like Longworth, who sought a political future, it seemed too radical step, the top candidate of the Republican Party to become an apostate. Many progressive set Republicans who sought no elected office, their solidarity, however, with the Democrats Woodrow Wilson.

Party program

The party program called for women's suffrage, the review of certain court decisions easier changeability of the Constitution, welfare laws for women and children, introduction of the eight -hour day, restriction of child labor, accident insurance for workers, limiting judicial injunctions against strikes, support for farmers, banking reforms to ensure an extensible currency, health insurance in the industry, new inheritance and income taxes, improvement of inland waterways and a limitation of naval armament. The pacifist Jane Addams, a leading supporter, was stunned when she found out that the party program called for the construction of two new battleships per year. George Walbridge Perkins, a director of U.S. Steel, was alleged to have prevented the inclusion of a program point against trusts what reformers like Gifford Pinchot shocked who saw Roosevelt as a fighter against the big corporations. Ultimately, a deep crack went through the new party that has never healed. Roosevelt's philosophy for the Progressive Party was based on the keyword " New Nationalism " ( New Nationalism ), which meant the belief in a strong national government to regulate the industry and protect the middle and working class. The New Nationalism was aligned paternalistic and stood in direct opposition to Woodrow Wilson individualistic philosophy of " New Freedom " ( New Freedom ).

Election result

In the presidential elections in 1912 Roosevelt outperformed 27.4 % of the vote Taft ( 23.2 %) significantly. He won the majority in six states (Pennsylvania, Michigan, Minnesota, South Dakota, Washington, California ) with a total of 88 electoral votes, while Taft received only eight electors. This was the worst defeat that, in the history of the U.S. has ever experienced an incumbent president who stood for re-election. Also, in some states, in which another candidate could prevail, Roosevelt achieved high percentages (eg 37.4% Maine, Vermont 35.2 %, Illinois 33.7 %). A number of the party's candidate was elected in 1912 in several states in Congress. Although Roosevelt came in second, but he ranked so far behind Wilson ( 41.8 % of the vote, 435 electors ) that everyone was clear that his party would never reach the White House. With largely poor results in the elections at the state and local level, the steady retreat of major supporters, the inability to attract new support, and the blatantly poor results in the midterm elections of 1914 the party was divided at the federal level, although they remained remarkably strong in some states. In Washington State, the party won a third of the seats in the two legislative chambers of the state.

Resolution 1916

The party held its second National Convention in 1916 and nominated again Roosevelt. This suggested the nomination of, however, and supported the more progressive set Republican Charles Evans Hughes. Many followed Roosevelt and returned to the Republican Party, the Progressive Party disbanded. Roosevelt cleavage allowed the Conservatives to take control of the Republican Party, Republicans lost progressively set up through the 1920s towards their political home, until most of them in the wake of the New Deal of President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 30s - years, the Democratic Party turned towards.

Until 1918, the last representatives of the Progressive had joined the Republicans in the House of Representatives. 1924 was established under Robert M. La Follette Sr., a bitter enemy of Roosevelt, a new Progressive Party.

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