What is a Progressive?

We have certainly heard the term recently. From the Democratic primary and into the general election. We heard that we need to be progressive to combat the economic situation. That Progressivism is what the country needs. Mrs. Clinton the current Secretary of State described herself as “progressive” during the democratic primary.

For most of us. Progress means to to move forward, or to be in the process of moving forward. What does it mean to the democratic party? Has America ever experienced progressivism before? Is progressivism a good thing? Is progressivism what the citizens of this country need?

We need to start this by going back to the “Progressive” movement of the early 20th Century in the United States. Most progressives at the turn of the century had decided that “individualism” was counterproductive to a “fair” society. Progressives at the turn of the century wanted to heavily regulate business, by leveling the “playing” field. They wanted to equalize everyone’s opportunity at life by having a minimum wage, and a graduated income tax. They wanted to help people by enacting a policy of eugenics, which would sterilize the undesirables of society, the criminals and the mentally ill. They wanted government to become the “big brother” of all its citizens helping them by taking away all of the hard decisions in life.

This movement in the United States was headed by Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Herbert Hoover, Franklin Roosevelt and countless others. It was a movement made up of both sides of the Congressional aisle. Its wasn’t a sole movement of the democratic party nor the republican party.

In other countries the progressive movement was known by several different labels, in Russia it was communism, Italy had Fascism, Germany had National Socialism. ALL of these movements wanted to completely do away with society because of its class distinctions and remold it into a society where everyone has everything they need courtesy of the all benevolent, all powerful state. They wanted to bind business and industry to government regulation and control so no one corporation could out perform another. In Russia it was outright government ownership of business. In Italy corporations were brought under serious and debilitating government regulation and control as was the case in Nazi Germany. If the corporation didn’t follow the government program their leadership was quickly replaced by individuals more willing to follow the governments guidelines.

The same types of antics were practiced here in the United States during World War one under Woodrow Wilson’s War Industries Board, as well as under the New Deal economics, under President Franklin Roosevelt. During Wilson’s administration people were arrested for little to no reason. Industries were regulated and bent towards the government’s will. During Franklin Roosevelt’s administration, the National Recovery Administration destroyed businesses who didn’t completely support the policies of the New Deal. The NRA promoted compliance with New Deal policies by arranging military parades and community organizing. School children were forced to swear oaths to the “Blue Eagle,” a symbol that was equated during those times with the German swastika or the Italians fasces.