Question

How "individualistic" were the Populists? Explain your reasoning.

Answer 1

The Populists would be consider against the idea of individualism in the meaning of owning and control of wealth.

The Populist attempted to work for and help out the average citizen. They formed in the early1890s and attempted through reforms to help out the common people, instead of what is referred to as the elite, or the people who have a considerable amount of private wealth and ownership or investment in businesses and/or land.

They believed, in some ways, in very radical ideals. They wanted to abolish national banks, all the government to control major public service like transportation and communication. They wanted to high levels of taxation for the wealthier segments of the population.

Their thoughts and policies were all in attempts to help the average person living and working in America. Some of these policies are clearly aligned with those of communism or socialism. And as such, the Populist movement was considered on the extreme end of the spectrum, as part of a group with these ideologies.