Prairie Populism: The Fate of Agrarian Radicalism in Kansas, Nebraska, and Iowa, 1880-1892 - Hardcover

Ostler, Jeffrey

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9780700606061: Prairie Populism: The Fate of Agrarian Radicalism in Kansas, Nebraska, and Iowa, 1880-1892
Hardcover
ISBN 10: 0700606068 ISBN 13: 9780700606061
Publisher: University Press of Kansas, 1993

Synopsis

The Plains states in the late 1800s flung open their political doors to the Populist party while their fellow midwestern neighbors to the east left it standing on the porch. Why the contrasting receptions? Traditionally the disparity has been attributed solely to economic differences. A superficially logical answer, says Jeffrey Ostler, but too simple.

Ostler contends that the distinction historians have made between "hardship" on the Plains and "prosperity" to the east is overdrawn. Through a comparison of economics and politics in two Populist states—Kansas and Nebraska, and one non-Populist state—Iowa, he shows that in addition to financial influences, the contours of the existing political order played a key role in determining the fate of populism. In the process of explaining why populism ultimately failed to become a national movement, he also illuminates the perennial question of why third parties in the United States have met with little success.

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About the Author

Jeffrey Ostler is assistant professor of history at the University of Oregon.

From the Back Cover

"A fresh interpretation of political history. Ostler writes with equal sophistication on the economic conditions of midwestern agriculture, the social dynamics of farm organizations, and the nuances of state politics. The work is also significant because so little has been written on Populism in Iowa and other states where the third-party movement was a failure."--Robert C. McMath, Jr., author of American Populism

"Ostler's study is analytically sophisticated and crisply executed. It is required reading for anyone interested in the relationships between social movements and political parties and underscores, in a subtle and refreshing way, the nonobvious role that federalism has played and still plays in the American party system's development."--Richard M. Valelly, author of Radicalism in the States: The Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party and the American Political Economy

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Publisher
University Press of Kansas
Publication date
1993
Language
English
ISBN 10 
0700606068
ISBN 13 
9780700606061
Binding
Hardcover
Edition number
1
Number of pages
272
Rating
  • 3.20 out of 5 stars
    5 ratings by Goodreads