Middle Class Dillusionment
Progressivism: Middle Class Disillusionment In 1958, a man named George Mowry explains s economic, social, and political divisions of the progressivism movement. The progressivism movement ties in a lot with our society today and shows how history does indeed repeat itself. Mowry describes the good, and bad of progressivism, but emphasizes the bad. Mowry is really trying to exhibit the differences between capitalism and socialism in his essay and explain why progressivism is not good for the well being and future of America, which can be proven today but our economic instability and division as a nation. More importantly however Mowry displays how progressives try to create, “heaven on earth” by their moral actions. Mowry first describes the type of people who are involved in progressivism. People who were involved in progressivism were the solid middle class, who were intellectual and ethical climate of age, a significant cluster of prejudices and biases, and people who created great inventions, beautiful pictures, and the law. The people of the solid middle class were lawyers, newspaper, publishing, independent manufacturers, merchants, medicine, banking, and real-estate. The progressive leaders included the Chicago tribune family, and Charles Evan Hughes, “if names mean anything, an overwhelming proportion of this reform group came from old American stock with British origins consistently indicated.” More dangerous than rich people who inherited money from their ancestors was their rich youth, “Obviously this was a period, like the ones after the war of 1812 and 1850’s, when energetic and incautious youth took command.” This is ironic because all of their ancestors earned their money through capitalism and that’s what progressives are trying to take away now. Religious affiliations of the progressivism movement were the woman of the Quaker faith, and Jewish faith. Overall the progressives hated the economic system of capitalism, believed that the