b) Populists wanted people to be more involved in the political process.
Explanation:
The paragraph shows that the Populists wanted people to be more active and involved in the political process. The main reason of this involvement is to reduce the power of elite group in the political affairs. This involvement leads to formation of better laws and regulation for the people as a result the prosperity and development of people occurs. The politicians can't represent the point of view of its people so that's why the Populists wanted the involvement of people in the politics.
