“The Progressive movement has been broadly categorized as a reform impulse designed to check, the power of big business and the lack of opportunity created by wealth concentration. Many thus claim that it was an impulse designed to bring governmental regulation to bear on out of control unfettered capitalism. However, in many ways Progressivism, as a policy and grass roots movement, was a conservative reaction to more radical movements of the day, such as anarchism, socialism, and still simmering Populism. In that sense, Progressivism was an attempt to defend and entrench capitalism, while (at least superficially) satisfying the public’s appetite for reform.” How would you defend, explain, or analyze such a statement?
This essay prompt requires a long-form written response, using complete sentences and appropriate grammar and punctuation. Expect to write 500 to 750 words to fully answer the prompt. This will be scored on a 0-25 scale.
