America in the XXs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

America in the XXs - Essay Example and the massive depression from 1893-1897 which convinced many that equal opportunity was out of reach for Americans (The Progressive Era 1). Progressives strongly advocated the Efficiency Movement which argues that all sectors of the economy, society, and government were contributors to waste and efficiency. Thus, progressives assumed that "anything old was encrusted with inefficient and useless practices" and advocated the eradication of the eradication of the problems mentioned above. They implemented changes in all policies at every level of society, economy, and government. Their effort brought fruits as the movement reaped success at the local, stated and national levels (The Progressive Era 3). The Progressives are predominantly members of the new middle class which are composed of young professionals. Their thrust is the application of principles of professions to problems plaguing the society, having a strong faith in progress and the ability of educated people to overcome problems, and establishment of volunteer organizations to address issues. Journalists also joined the movement by attacking and exposing corruption. Political reformers showed their opposition to traditional party politics while socialists composed mostly of frustrated workers vowed to totally eradicate capitalism. Women also showed their contribution to the Progressive Era by proving their values as social workers. Together with the other progressives, they pushed for justice, general equality, and public safety (Feldmeth 3). In terms of politics, the most famous national figures were Republicans Theodore Roosevelt and Rober LaFollette and Democrats William Jennings Bryan and Woodrow Wilson. Theodore Roosevelt was as a president which used his position to lead and fight against those he felt were not acting in America's best interest. Among the most important reforms in the Progressive Era were Prohibition with the 18th Amendment and woman's suffrage through to the Nineteenth Amendment (The Progressive Era 5). The establishment of the Initiative, Referendum, Recall was created by some states led by California, Wisconsin, and Oregon to "enable the citizenry to rule more directly and circumvent political bosses (The Progressive Era 5)." Huge developments notably the usage of Primary elections and establishments of municipal reference bureaus to study budget and administrative structures of local government. America and the Great War America formally entered the Great War on April 6, 1917 when it joined its Allies-Britain, France, and Russia. The US was previously unconvinced to engaged in the World War I. However, Americans were enraged when a German submarine sunk the Lusitania, a British luxury ship killing 128 aboard. Thus, many Americans urged then President Wilson to join the war (Dowling 1-4). The Allies expected that the