AP Syllabus focus:
‘Compare how Progressive reforms and New Deal programs addressed instability, corruption, and social problems, and evaluate their relative significance over time.’
Progressivism and the New Deal both sought to stabilize capitalism and correct social ills, yet each emerged from distinct crises and pursued reform with different philosophies and scopes.
Comparing the Reform Contexts
The Progressive Era arose between the 1890s and World War I in response to industrialization, political corruption, and urban poverty. Reformers believed that expert knowledge and civic activism could rationalize capitalism and create a more democratic society. In contrast, the New Deal developed during the Great Depression, when unprecedented economic collapse forced federal policymakers to intervene directly in relief, recovery, and systemic reform.
Progressivism: A reform movement from roughly 1890 to 1920 that sought to address corruption, inefficiency, and social injustice through government action and expertise.
These differing circumstances shaped the strategies, expectations, and limits of each reform movement.
Goals and Ideological Foundations
Progressive Reform Principles
Progressives aimed to purify democracy, regulate large corporations, and improve social welfare. Their philosophy rested on faith in professional expertise, scientific management, and moral uplift. Many believed that government, if guided by trained administrators, could restrain corporate abuses and correct social inequities.
New Deal Reform Principles
The New Deal emphasized federal responsibility for economic security, asserting that deep instability in markets required national action. Roosevelt’s administration embraced pragmatic experimentation, offering multiple programs to restore confidence, regulate finance, and support vulnerable Americans. While Progressives sought rationalization, the New Deal sought stabilization and relief in the face of societal emergency.
Federal Power and Regulatory Approaches
Progressive Regulatory Strategies
Progressives expanded federal oversight through antitrust enforcement, food and workplace safety laws, and political reforms such as the initiative, referendum, and the direct election of senators.
This Progressive Era cartoon portrays President Woodrow Wilson “priming” a prosperity pump with buckets labeled anti-trust and other reform legislation. It illustrates the Progressive belief that federal regulation of corporations and financial systems could safeguard economic opportunity while preserving capitalism. The image includes specific references to Wilson’s legislative program, which provides contextual examples beyond the AP syllabus. Source.
These reforms aimed to curb concentrated economic power and strengthen democratic participation.
Antitrust actions signaled federal willingness to restrain monopolies.
Regulatory commissions, including the Federal Trade Commission, institutionalized expert-driven oversight.
Democratic reforms targeted corruption by reducing political machine influence.
Regulatory commission: A government agency staffed by appointed experts responsible for overseeing industries or economic practices.
New Deal Expansion of Federal Authority
The New Deal dramatically enlarged the federal role by creating agencies that intervened directly in labor relations, agriculture, banking, and relief.
This collage highlights FDR as the architect of the New Deal, shows him signing the Tennessee Valley Authority into law, and displays a WPA mural funded by federal relief programs. It emphasizes how New Deal reforms created new federal agencies, sponsored public works, and used government spending to manage economic crisis. The image includes specific TVA and WPA examples that exceed the syllabus detail but serve as clear illustrations of New Deal policy. Source.
Financial reforms, such as deposit insurance and securities regulation, aimed to reduce volatility.
Relief programs provided immediate assistance to unemployed Americans.
Labor protections, such as the right to unionize, rebalanced employer–worker power.
These actions reflected a more interventionist philosophy than earlier Progressive reforms.
Social Reform and Economic Stabilization
Progressive Social Goals
Progressives worked to uplift urban communities, reduce child labor, and fight political corruption. Many efforts, however, were shaped by middle-class norms and sometimes reinforced racial or immigration restrictions. Settlement house workers, female reformers, and muckraking journalists played critical roles in exposing conditions and mobilizing support.
New Deal Social and Economic Programs
The New Deal’s social legislation targeted mass unemployment and structural economic weaknesses.
This 1939 photograph captures WPA workers protesting proposed cuts to federal relief funding, showing how New Deal programs generated new expectations of government responsibility for economic security. It reinforces the role of relief, recovery, and reform policies in shaping political participation within the emerging welfare state. The regional political context shown here provides additional background beyond the AP syllabus while illustrating the lived experience of New Deal reforms. Source.
Programs addressed immediate hardship and long-term stability.
Relief: Direct aid to families and work-relief opportunities.
Recovery: Efforts to stimulate economic activity, including agricultural adjustments and industrial coordination.
Reform: Measures to prevent future crises through regulation of banking, finance, and labor practices.
Welfare state: A system in which the government assumes responsibility for supporting citizens’ basic economic and social well-being.
These reforms helped redefine modern American liberalism, emphasizing a sustained federal role in economic security and labor protections.
Democratic Practices and Participation
Progressive Democratic Innovations
Progressives expanded democratic participation through reforms such as the initiative, referendum, recall, and direct primaries. These mechanisms empowered citizens to bypass corrupt political machines and hold officials accountable. At the same time, some Progressives supported restrictions on voting and immigration that limited democratic inclusivity.
New Deal Political Realignment
The New Deal reshaped American political coalitions by drawing together urban workers, African Americans in northern cities, ethnic immigrants, and many women. While it did not overhaul political institutions in the way Progressivism had, it expanded citizens’ expectations of government support and participation in national policymaking.
Evaluating Relative Significance Over Time
Progressivism established the regulatory groundwork and democratic reforms that shaped early 20th-century governance, while the New Deal redefined the relationship between citizens and the federal government through its commitment to economic security and social welfare.
Progressivism addressed corruption and inefficiency in an era of rapid industrial expansion.
The New Deal confronted systemic economic collapse and created lasting institutions that reoriented federal responsibility.
Both movements shaped modern policy debates and contributed to a long-term redefinition of government’s role in regulating capitalism and supporting citizens.
FAQ
Progressives generally sought to preserve capitalism by rationalising it, focusing on curbing abuses through regulation, efficiency, and moral uplift. They believed capitalism could function equitably if guided by experts.
The New Deal assumed that capitalism required stronger structural support, including direct relief, public employment, and sustained federal oversight. Its reforms reflected a belief that markets alone could not guarantee stability during crisis.
Progressivism attracted middle-class reformers, professionals, and some urban groups but did not forge a stable nationwide coalition. Its divisions over race, immigration, and democracy limited its broad appeal.
The New Deal, by contrast, united workers, ethnic minorities, urban residents, and many women into a cohesive voting bloc. Federal relief programmes created enduring loyalty by linking citizens directly to national policy benefits.
Progressives supported labour reforms such as child labour restrictions, workplace safety rules, and limited protections for unions. Their efforts were often piecemeal and varied by state.
The New Deal introduced national labour standards, including collective bargaining rights and minimum wage legislation. This shift reflected recognition that nationwide economic instability required uniform protections for workers.
Progressive reformers frequently accepted or upheld segregation, believing racial issues were separate from mainstream reform goals.
New Deal programmes provided broad economic relief but often accommodated local discriminatory practices, allowing southern politicians to shape policy administration.
Both movements prioritised political feasibility, resulting in reforms that excluded or limited the benefits available to Black Americans.
Progressives believed trained experts could solve social and economic problems by applying scientific management and rational planning. This led to the creation of regulatory commissions staffed by specialists.
The New Deal also valued expertise but relied more on experimentation, trial-and-error policymaking, and diverse advisory groups. Its emphasis on practicality reflected the urgency of responding quickly to national crisis.
Practice Questions
Question 1 (1–3 marks)
Identify one key difference between Progressive Era reforms and New Deal reforms in terms of the federal government’s role in the economy. Explain how this difference reflected the historical context in which each reform movement emerged.
Mark scheme:
• 1 mark for correctly identifying a difference in federal involvement (e.g., Progressives sought regulation of industry, while the New Deal expanded direct federal intervention and welfare provision).
• 1 mark for linking the Progressive approach to its context (e.g., responses to industrialisation, corporate power, urban problems).
• 1 mark for linking the New Deal approach to its context (e.g., mass unemployment and the collapse of financial systems during the Great Depression).
Question 2 (4–6 marks)
Assess the extent to which the New Deal built upon Progressive Era reforms when responding to economic instability and social problems. In your answer, consider both similarities and differences in goals, methods, and outcomes.
Mark scheme:
• Up to 2 marks for explaining similarities (e.g., both used federal authority to regulate the economy, both aimed to protect consumers and workers, both addressed perceived failures of unregulated capitalism).
• Up to 2 marks for explaining differences (e.g., the New Deal introduced direct relief and large-scale federal programmes; Progressivism focused more on expert-led regulation and democratic reforms rather than welfare provision).
• 1 mark for using specific evidence that accurately reflects each movement’s reforms.
• 1 mark for a reasoned judgement regarding the extent of continuity versus change between the Progressive Era and the New Deal.
