Progressivism is a left-leaning political philosophy and Reformism movement that seeks to advance the human condition through social reform.[Harold Mah. Enlightenment Phantasies: Cultural Identity in France and Germany, 1750–1914. Cornell University. (2003). p. 157.]
In modern political discourse, progressivism is often associated with social liberalism,
History
From the Enlightenment to the Industrial Revolution
Immanuel Kant identified progress as being a movement away from
Barbarian toward
civilization.
18th-century philosopher and political scientist Marquis de Condorcet predicted that political progress would involve the disappearance of
slavery, the rise of
literacy, the lessening of
sex inequality,
prison reform, which at the time were harsh, and the decline of poverty.
[Nisbet, Robert (1980). History of the Idea of Progress. New York: Basic Books. ch 5]
Modernity or modernisation was a key form of the idea of progress as promoted by classical liberals in the 19th and 20th centuries, who called for the rapid modernisation of the economy and society to remove the traditional hindrances to and the free movements of people.
In the late 19th century, a political view rose in popularity in the Western world that progress was being stifled by vast economic inequality between the rich and the poor, minimally regulated laissez-faire capitalism with out-of-control monopolistic , intense and often violent conflict between capitalists and workers, with a need for measures to address these problems.[Alan Ryan. The Making of Modern Liberalism. p. 25.] British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli developed progressive conservatism under one-nation Toryism.[Patrick Dunleavy, Paul Joseph Kelly, Michael Moran. British Political Science: Fifty Years of Political Studies. Oxford, England; Malden, Massachusetts: Wiley-Blackwell, 2000. pp. 107–108. ][Robert Blake. Disraeli. Second Edition. London: Eyre & Spottiswoode (Publishers) Ltd, 1967. p. 524.]
In France, the space between social revolution and the socially conservative laissez-faire centre-right was filled with the emergence of radicalism which thought that social progress required anti-clericalism, humanism, and republicanism. Especially anti-clericalism was the dominant influence on the centre-left in many French- and Romance-speaking countries until the mid-20th century. In Imperial Germany, Chancellor Otto von Bismarck enacted various progressive social welfare measures out of paternalistic conservative motivations to distance workers from the socialist movement of the time and as humane ways to assist in maintaining the Industrial Revolution.[ Union Contributions to Labor Welfare Policy and Practice: Past, Present, and Future. Routledge, 16, 2013. p. 172. ]
In 1891, the Roman Catholic Church encyclical Rerum novarum issued by Pope Leo XIII condemned the exploitation of labor and urged support for labor unions and government regulation of businesses in the interests of social justice while upholding the property right and criticising socialism.[Faith Jaycox. The Progressive Era. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2005. p. 85.] A progressive Protestant outlook called the Social Gospel emerged in North America that focused on challenging economic exploitation and poverty and, by the mid-1890s, was common in many Protestant theological seminaries in the United States.[Charles Howard Hopkins, The Rise of the Social Gospel in American Protestantism, 1865–1915 (1940). ]
Early 20th-century progressivism included support for American engagement in World War I and the creation of and participation in the League of Nations,[James H. Timberlake, Prohibition and the Progressive Movement, 1900–1920 (1970)]
Contemporary political conception of the philosophy
In the United States, progressivism began as an intellectual rebellion against the political philosophy of Constitutionalism
as expressed by
John Locke and the Founding Fathers of the American Republic, whereby the authority of government depends on observing limitations on its just powers.
What began as a
social movement in the 1890s grew into a popular political movement referred to as the
Progressive Era; in the 1912 United States presidential election, all three U.S. presidential candidates claimed to be progressives. While the term
progressivism represents a range of diverse political pressure groups, not always united, progressives rejected
social Darwinism, believing that the problems society faced, such as
class warfare,
greed,
poverty,
racism and
violence, could best be addressed by providing good education, a safe environment, and an efficient workplace. Progressives lived mainly in the cities, were college educated, and believed in a strong central government.
[ "The Progressive Era (1890–1920)". The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers Project. . Retrieved 31 September 2014.] President Theodore Roosevelt of the Republican Party and later the Progressive Party declared that he "always believed that wise progressivism and wise conservatism go hand in hand."
President Woodrow Wilson was also a member of the American progressive movement within the Democratic Party. Progressive stances have evolved. Imperialism was a controversial issue within progressivism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, particularly in the United States, where some progressives supported American imperialism while others opposed it.[ Reconsidering Woodrow Wilson: Progressivism, Internationalism, War, and Peace. p. 309. ]
During the period of acceptance of economic Keynesianism (the 1930s–1970s), there was widespread acceptance in many nations of a large role for state intervention in the economy. With the rise of neoliberalism and challenges to state interventionist policies in the 1970s and 1980s, centre-left progressive movements responded by adopting the Third Way, which emphasised a major role for the market economy.[Jane Lewis, Rebecca Surender. Welfare State Change: Towards a Third Way?. Oxford University Press, 2004. pp. 3–4, 16. ] There have been social democrats who have called for the social-democratic movement to move past Third Way.[ After the Third Way: The Future of Social Democracy in Europe. I.B. Taurus, 2012. p. 47. ] Prominent progressive conservative elements in the British Conservative Party have criticised neoliberalism.[Hugh Bochel. The Conservative Party and Social Policy. The Policy Press, 2011. p. 108. ]
In the 21st century, progressives continue to favour public policy that they theorise will reduce or lessen the harmful effects of economic inequality as well as systemic discrimination such as institutional racism; to advocate for social safety nets and workers' rights; and to oppose corporate influence on the democratic process. The unifying theme is to call attention to the negative impacts of current institutions or ways of doing things and to advocate for social progress, i.e., for positive change as defined by any of several standards such as the expansion of democracy, increased egalitarianism in the form of economic and social equality as well as improved well-being of a population. Proponents of social democracy have identified themselves as promoting the progressive cause.[Henning Meyer, Jonathan Rutherford. The Future of European Social Democracy: Building the Good Society. Palgrave Macmillan, 2012. p. 108. ]
Types
Cultural progressivism
Progressivism, in the general sense, mainly means social and cultural progressivism. The term
cultural liberalism is used in a substantially similar context and can be said to be a synonym for cultural progressivism.
Unlike progressives in a broader sense, some cultural progressives may be economically
centrist, conservative, or politically
libertarian. The Czech Pirate Party is classified as a (cultural or social) progressive party,
and it calls itself "economically centrist and socially liberal".
[ "Piráti chtějí vést liberální politický střed a v květnu získat 20 procent, zaznělo na fóru v Táboře" (in Czech). ČT24. 19 January 2019.]
Economic progressivism
Economic progressivism—also
New Progressive Economics—is a term used to distinguish it from
progressivism in cultural fields. Economic progressives may draw from a variety of economic traditions, including democratic capitalism, democratic socialism,
social democracy, and social liberalism. Overall, economic progressives' views are rooted in the concept of
social justice and the
common good, and aim to improve the human condition through government regulation, social protections and the maintenance of public goods.
[ "The Origins and Evolution of Progressive Economics".] Some economic progressives may show centre-right views on cultural issues. These movements are related to
Communitarianism conservative movements such as Christian democracy and one-nation conservatism.
Techno progressivism
An early mention of
techno-progressivism appeared in 1999 as the removal of "all political, cultural, biological, and psychological limits to self-actualization and self-realization".
According to techno-progressivism, scientific and technical aspects of progress are linked to ethical and social developments in society. Therefore, according to the majority of techno-progressive viewpoints, advancements in science and technology will not be considered proper progress until and unless they are accompanied by a fair distribution of the costs, risks, and rewards of these new capabilities. Many techno-progressive critics and supporters believe that while improved democracy, increased justice, decreased violence, and a broader culture of rights are all desirable, they are insufficient on their own to address the problems of modern technological societies unless and until they are accompanied by scientific and technological advancements that uphold and apply these ideals.
Progressive parties or parties with progressive factions
Current parties
-
: Solidarity Party of Afghanistan
-
: Union for the Homeland (factions)
-
: Australian Greens,
-
: Ecolo, Groen
-
: Workers' Party,
-
: Liberal Party of Canada,
-
: Broad Front, Liberal Party of Chile
-
: Humane Colombia
-
: Social Democratic Party
-
: Czech Pirate Party
[Slawek Blitch. Finally, a healthy dose of anti-establishment. politicalcritique.org. 8 January 2018.][Katerina Safarikova. "Czechs Eye 'Symbolic' Pirate Breakthrough in Europe". /balkaninsight.com. 21 May 2019.]
-
: Radical Party of the Left, New Deal
-
: Volt Germany
-
: Syriza,
-
: Democratic Coalition
-
: Possible, Green Europe
-
: Green Party of Indonesia
-
: Social Democratic Party, Japanese Communist Party,
-
: Vetëvendosje
-
: Kuwaiti Progressive Movement
-
: Morena, Party of the Democratic Revolution, Citizens' Movement
-
: Democrats 66, GroenLinks,
-
: Pakistan Peoples Party
-
: Purple Party
-
: Akbayan
-
: Polish Initiative, New Left, Left Together, Polish Socialist Party, The Greens, Civic Platform (faction)
-
: Socialist Party, Left Bloc, People Animals Nature,
-
: Save Romania Union, Democracy and Solidarity Party, Volt Romania, Health Education Nature Sustainability Party
-
: Yabloko
-
: Party of the Radical Left
-
: Progress Singapore Party
-
: Progressive Slovakia
-
: Justice Party, Progressive Party,
-
: Spanish Socialist Worker's Party,
-
: Democratic Progressive Party,
-
: Thai Liberal Party,
-
: Republican People's Party
-
: Green Party of England and Wales,
-
: Democratic Party (factions),
-
: Popular Will
Former parties
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: Front for Victory
-
: Progressive Party of Canada
-
: Social Convergence
-
: Movement Party,
-
: Demosisto
-
: Society for the Progress of Iran
-
: Meretz
-
: Japan Socialist Party
-
: Free-thinking Democratic League
-
: Jim Anderton's Progressive Party
-
: Sindh National Front
-
: Spring, Your Movement
-
: Romanian Social Party, National Union for the Progress of Romania
-
: Progressive Party (1956), Democratic Labor Party,
-
: Unidas Podemos
-
: Move Forward Party
-
: Progressive Party (1912), Progressive Party (1924), Progressive Party (1948)
See also
Citations
Sources
-
Dudley, Larkin Sims. "Enduring narratives from progressivism." International Journal of Organization Theory & Behavior 7.3 (2003): 315–340.
-
Eisenach, Eldon J., ed. Social and Political Thought of American Progressivism. (Hackett Publishing, 2006).
-
Frohman, Larry. "The Break-Up of the Poor Laws—German Style: Progressivism and the Origins of the Welfare State, 1900–1918." Comparative Studies in Society and History 50.4 (2008): 981–1009.
-
Jackson, Ben. "Equality and the British Left: A study in progressive political thought, 1900-64." in Equality and the British Left (2013)
-
Kloppenberg, James T. Uncertain Victory: Social Democracy and Progressivism in European and American Thought, 1870–1920. Oxford University Press, US, 1988. .
-
George Lakoff. Don't Think of an Elephant: Know Your Values and Frame the Debate. Chelsea Green Publishing, 2004. .
-
Link, Arthur S. and McCormick, Richard L. Progressivism (American History Series). Harlan Davidson, 1983. .
-
Michael McGerr. A Fierce Discontent: The Rise and Fall of the Progressive Movement in America, 1870–1920. 2003.
-
Nugent, Walter. Progressivism: A very short introduction (Oxford University Press, 2009).
-
Petrow, Stefan. "Progressivism in Australia: the case of John Daniel Fitzgerald, 1900-1922." Journal of the Royal Australian Historical Society 90.1 (2004): 53–74.
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Sawyer, Stephen, and William J. Novak. "Emancipation and the creation of modern liberal states in America and France." Journal of the civil war era 3.4 (2013): 467–500. online
External links
