To What Extent Did the Progressive Moment Influence American Domestic and Foreign Policy Before World War 1?

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To what extent did the progressive moment influence American domestic and foreign policy before World War 1? [24 marks] The progressive era arose in the 1890s and into the 1920s. There were three major changes in America; the social effects of industrialisation, the attitudes of big business and the way the nation was run at that time. The development of the foreign policy also started in the 1890s. There are a number of things that influenced the foreign policy through the progressive movement and there are also things that didn’t. Overall, the progressive moment did have a massive impact on the American foreign and domestic policy before World War 1. Some people would argue that the progressive moment did influence American domestic and foreign policy before World War one, because a lot of social aspects were influenced by it. These are aspects such as child labour, working conditions and anti-trust laws. From the urging of social critics such as Jane Addams, child labour laws were strengthened and age limits for work was introduced, along with the shortening of working hours, restricting night work and requiring school attendance. This was important as children were now getting an education instead of doing hard labour at such a young age. This shows how American policy was being influenced with ideas of progressivism. Most cities then adapted to the eight hour day public work. Also, the Workers Compensation laws were introduced which allowed employers to be blamed if any injuries were caused to their workers at work. In the reformist wing of the Republican Party, they promoted the idea of the anti-trust laws which prevented big businesses from fixing prices. During this period, writers were publishing articles about trusts, high finance, impure foods and abusive railroad practices. These began appearing in newspapers and popular magazines which increased
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