Question

What role did laissez-faire policies play in development of the West and the creation of the Granger movement?

Answer 1

The government did little to nothing to disturb or regulate the rising power of the railroads and other big business monopolies in the south, which is the corner stone of lassiez-faire ideology. The unchecked growth of the industries' power created resentment toward this ideology as many people thought it trampled over the common citizen. Resulting in the creation of The Granger Movement, small groups of farmers mainly in the South and West, demanding the end of lassiez-faire policies and the intervention and regulation of the government in business affairs. The pressure created by these movements resulted in the increased regulation of railroads and firms controlling the storage and distribution of corn and wheat.