LM2: Glossary for Activity 1

Liberalism: The political doctrine that government rests on the consent of the governed and is duty-bound to protect the freedom and property of the individual. In the 20^th century, liberalism became associated with the idea that government should regulate the economy and ensure the material well-being and individual rights of all people. See progressivism and social justice.

Progressivism, (progressive movement): A wide-ranged 20^th century reform movement that advocated government activism to mitigate the problems created by urban industrialization. Most specifically, the movement called for government Progressivism reached its peak in 1912 with the creation of the Progressive Party, which ran Theodore Roosevelt for president. The term progressivism has come to mean any general advocating of social welfare programs. In the United States, the Progressive Era was a period of reform which spanned from the 1890s to 1920. In that time progressives strongly opposed waste and corruption, seeking change in regard to workers’ rights and protection of the ordinary citizen in general. The reformers (and their opponents) were predominantly members of the middle class. Most were well educated white Protestants who lived in cities. Catholics, Jews and blacks crafted their own versions of the Progressive Movement. In general, progressives in pushed for social justice, general equality and public safety. Progressivism is still very much part of the dialogue of social reform and politics. For example, the belief by many politicians and citizens that the United States should have a national health care plan is an example of Progressivism.

Reform Darwinism: a social theory, based on Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution that emphasized activism, arguing that humans could speed up evolution by altering the environment (conditions of housing, work, education in society). A challenge to social Darwinism, reform Darwinism condemned laissez-faire and demanded that the government take a more active approach to solving social problems. It became the ideological basis for progressive reform in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries.

Temperance Movement: The reform movement to end drunkenness by urging people to abstain from the consumption of alcohol. Begun in the 1820s, this movement achieved its greatest political victory with the passage of a constitutional amendment in 1919 that prohibited the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol. That amendment was repealed in 1933.

Social Justice: Based on the assumption that in a democratic society the basic needs of food, shelter, jobs, and education should be available to all citizens. If these conditions are not met in a free market economy, then it is the responsibility of the political process (government) to make these needs accessible to citizens. Underlying this concept is a belief that the assumption that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. See Progressivism.