Studies continue to show that many of today's young voters don't actually know what important economic and political terms mean. One of those terms is "progressivism." In an amazing new book by Princeton professor Thomas C. Leonard, Illiberal Reformers: Race, Eugenics, and American Economics, the historical foundation and evolution of that worldview is examined. This is not a book on politics, but rather a history of ideas, as the Progressive Era came about by way of an expanding belief in science and intellectualism.
While many today think of progressivism as a vague belief in tolerance, increased freedoms, and forward thinking, such a definition belies its origin as a truly frightening perspective on how societies should be organized. Leonard does a brilliant job of explaining that progressivism was not founded in a particular political movement--all sides of the political spectrum became adherents, with the two most prominent figures being Democrat President Woodrow Wilson and Republican President Theodore Roosevelt. Leonard maintains his dispassionate examination throughout the book, highlighting ideas and policies and avoiding political smears. So what exactly got everyone so excited about progressivism?
The notion that smart people could devise policies for government and other forms of social organization followed from a form of Enlightenment, a belief that science holds the keys to an improving world. What biological evolution showed us was possible in the 1800s, social evolution could bring about in the 1900s. The difference being that biology is slow and prone to mistakes, while experts in sociology and economics have the education and influence to guide citizens to a more productive and more safe society. Intellectuals became advisers to the powerful, effecting political change through countless initiatives aimed at the preservation of American purity. This purity, however, became the sticking point.
Progressivism, Leonard shows, gave us a scientific rationale for racism and eugenics, as well as anti-immigration and anti-labor political movements. Progressivism hindered women and the disabled. And it marginalized--through excluding, imprisoning, or even killing--anyone who was perceived as a threat to "improving" our nation. The realities of the ideology are truly tragic.
To repeat, this is not a political book, but a history of ideas. And while this text itself is just shy of 200 pages, Leonard painstakingly presents his information with dozens of pages of citations and footnotes. The book is titled Illiberal Reformers because the Progressive Era at the beginning of the twentieth century signaled a move away from the individualism and personal freedoms that arose from classical liberalism. It marked, on the contrary, a methodological movement of control through social and political elitism. The facts are here for all to see, showing us how placing our future in the hands and minds of a few select smart people can lead to horrifying results. We hear the word "progressive" thrown around by all sorts of people today. Make sure you know where that word came from.
While many today think of progressivism as a vague belief in tolerance, increased freedoms, and forward thinking, such a definition belies its origin as a truly frightening perspective on how societies should be organized. Leonard does a brilliant job of explaining that progressivism was not founded in a particular political movement--all sides of the political spectrum became adherents, with the two most prominent figures being Democrat President Woodrow Wilson and Republican President Theodore Roosevelt. Leonard maintains his dispassionate examination throughout the book, highlighting ideas and policies and avoiding political smears. So what exactly got everyone so excited about progressivism?
The notion that smart people could devise policies for government and other forms of social organization followed from a form of Enlightenment, a belief that science holds the keys to an improving world. What biological evolution showed us was possible in the 1800s, social evolution could bring about in the 1900s. The difference being that biology is slow and prone to mistakes, while experts in sociology and economics have the education and influence to guide citizens to a more productive and more safe society. Intellectuals became advisers to the powerful, effecting political change through countless initiatives aimed at the preservation of American purity. This purity, however, became the sticking point.
Progressivism, Leonard shows, gave us a scientific rationale for racism and eugenics, as well as anti-immigration and anti-labor political movements. Progressivism hindered women and the disabled. And it marginalized--through excluding, imprisoning, or even killing--anyone who was perceived as a threat to "improving" our nation. The realities of the ideology are truly tragic.
To repeat, this is not a political book, but a history of ideas. And while this text itself is just shy of 200 pages, Leonard painstakingly presents his information with dozens of pages of citations and footnotes. The book is titled Illiberal Reformers because the Progressive Era at the beginning of the twentieth century signaled a move away from the individualism and personal freedoms that arose from classical liberalism. It marked, on the contrary, a methodological movement of control through social and political elitism. The facts are here for all to see, showing us how placing our future in the hands and minds of a few select smart people can lead to horrifying results. We hear the word "progressive" thrown around by all sorts of people today. Make sure you know where that word came from.