Progressivism
Progressivism (or Progressive Ideology) puts a heavy emphasis on administration that is centralized, separated from the political process, and has the power and expertise to make quick decisions.[1]
History
Pre-Progressive Era
The dawn of progressive ideology has been traced back to the publication of Looking Backward,[2] where author Edward Bellamy uses the label of Nationalism to create a movement aiming toward greater state power at the expense of the individual.
Another book that had far reaching implications for the coming birth of progressive ideology was Henry George's book Progress and Poverty.[3]
Progressive Era
For a more detailed treatment, see Progressive Era.
The "Progressive Era" was a time period in American History in which Progressives made their way into segments of academia, media, and government, and were successful at implementing their policies and cultural changes based on their ideology.
Beliefs
Progressive ideology is marked by a belief in the purity of Public Administration,[4] particularly the concept of the disinterested[5][6] and impartial administrator.[7][8] While progressives generally do not agree on how administrative power should be used,[9] that is less important than the fact that administration must exist.[10] By its very nature, administration is necessarily centralized.[11] What becomes de-centralized within the Administrative State are the specific functions, such as energy, environment, transportation, etc. The reason why progressives look past use and focus simply on existence, is because they want the flexibility to be able to move and change as circumstances change.[10] This generally has a negative effect on citizens, who are not always kept apprised of what is happening and are not afforded the opportunity to voice their beliefs.
In this way, when Progressivism is looked upon as Bureaucratic Despotism,[12] the notion is quite apt since despotic governments generally do not care what the citizens want or believe.
See also
- Atheism, social justice and hypocrisy
- Liberalism
- Administrative State
- Central planning
- Constitution 201
- Initiatives and referendums in the United States
References
- ↑ Woodrow Wilson on Administration
- ↑ (2008) Liberal Fascism. Random House, 215. “It's hard to fix a specific starting date for the progressive race for the Great Society, but a good guess might be 1888, the year Edward Bellamy's novel Looking Backward burst on the American scene. One of the most influential works of progressive propaganda ever conceived.”
- ↑ Henry George and the Beginnings of Revolutionary Socialism in the United States, The Johns Hopkins University Studies in Historical and Political Science
- ↑ Progressivism (Public Administration)
- ↑ The Trouble Isn't Liberals. It's Progressives.
- ↑ By the People: Rebuilding Liberty Without Permission
- ↑ Reflections on American Progressivism
- ↑ Progressive Democracy, by Herbert Croly, "In almost every case it(the law) depends for its success upon the ability and disinterestedness with which the law is administered."
- ↑ Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: Ten Years of the Claremont Review of Books
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Progressivism and the Administrative State
- ↑ The Paradox of Southern Progressivism, 1880-1930
- ↑ Constitution 201: The Progressive Rejection of the Founding and the Rise of Bureaucratic Despotism