American Populism: A Social History 1877-1898 (American Century)
This compact book delivers what it promises, a summary of the current understanding of populism, the rural social and political reform movement of the last quarter of the 19th century. The subtitle at first seems misleading, for populism by its very nature was a political movement. However, by emphasizing populism's social roots, the author conveys the idea that populism was much more than the political party. Instead of studying populism from the top down or analyzing it from the viewpoint of the 1890s, when it seemed to be at high tide, McMath turns to its historical roots in rural communities, before it became a powerful national political movement. The result is a clear synthesis of the latest research, valuable for general readers interested in the nature of grass-roots politics as well as for professional historians. with an interest in a major American protest movement.- Charles K. Piehl, Mankato State Univ., Minn.Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.