The Populist Party Track Changes

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OPTION 1
The Populist Party cannot be counted as a major political party in the history of the United States, but it can be regarded as an important third party. To be called a major party in the context of American history, the party would have to be one of the two largest parties, with significant members in the Congress, and with a realistic chance of winning the presidency. The Populist Party never achieved these milestones.
Populism is a global and erratic feature of all modern autonomous structures of politics (Betz 200). One key issue in evaluating and classifying populist movements can be traced to the definitional examinations for their central characteristics that are comparable to those in conservative democratic structures.
After the Civil War in America, farmers disputed industrialization, especially in regard toregarding the railroads levies for their produce, the cost of new machinery, and the money- lending policies by the financial institutions. These grievances amalgamated into a mass crusade led by the Agronomist’s Coalition. The Populist Party was formed in 1892 and sanctioned a platform that stretched the early discords (Bonikowski and Noam 1593). Later on, the party combined with the Democrats, but the crusade wilted partly as a result of the loss by William Jennings in the 1896 presidential polls.
Upon formation of the Populist Party, it called for the abolishing of national banks, advocated for the free coinage of silver, the graduation of income tax, a sub- treasury system, paper money in plenty, senatorial election via direct voting by the citizens, and the state to own all forms of transportation and communication.

Furthermore, the party advocated for no ownership of land by outsiders, reforms in the civil service, pensions, eight hours of working daily, postal banks, revision of immigration laws and laws of contracts. TIn order to achieve the goals mentioned, the populists intended to replace the Democrats as the country’s second political party by establishing an association with the industrial workers in the East.
The Populist Party tried to win support by adopting strategies such as urging farmers to produce less corn and cause more mayhem (Tournier 140). The decision to merge with the Democratic Party, which would mark the beginning of the end of the populist movement, was, however, successful to some extent. For instance, these efforts produced results when Tom Watson and Jerry Simpson, of Georgia and Kansas respectively, were elected. They would later on become the key figures in the leadership of the Populist Movement, and were the hope looked upon by many farmers.
The party also failed due to the differences in strategies and tactics. Its leadership was divided with some people favoring the policies of Andrew Dunlap, whereas others such as Charles William Macune and S.O. Dawes pursued broader goals that were concerned with revolutionizing the monetary system. Additionally, there were disputes between the farmers who afforded “cash and carry “agreements, and their counterparts who were in huge debts.
The Populist Party continued to operate and had candidates in the 1904 and 1908 presidential polls. However, its influence was already over. Even though the party was officially disbanded in 1908, progressive movements took up many of the issues that the populist movement wasere championing for, including increased federal regulation of private businesses, strong support for the working class, the agriculturalists, and the anti-trust legislation.
Even though the Populist Party cannot be regarded as a major political party in the history of the United States, it is still significant considering how it championed for the progress of the poor workers, and farmers in the early 19th Century. .It played a huge role in shaping the history of employment, the banking sectors, rail roads, as well as reshaping the policies and legislations of the country. Some of the benefits being enjoyed by Americans today are as a result of the Populist Party that cannot be ignored. However, in the context of American history, a major party has to have representation in both houses and have a real chance at the presidency. The Populist Party had no chance.
Works Cited
Bonikowski, Bart, and Noam Gideon. “The Populist Style in American Politics: Presidential Campaign Discourse, 1952–1996.” Social Forces 94.4 (2015): 1593-1621.
Tournier‐Sol, Karine. “Reworking the Eurosceptic and Conservative Traditions into a Populist Narrative: UKIP’s Winning Formula?” JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies 53.1 (2015): 140-156.