Excerpt from the Populist Party Platform, July 4, 1892
The conditions which surround us best justify our cooperation; we meet in the midst of a nation brought to the verge of moral, political, and material ruin. Corruption dominates the ballot-box, the Legislatures, the Congress, and touches even the ermine of the bench. The people are demoralized; most of the States have been compelled to isolate the voters at the polling places to prevent universal intimidation or bribery. The newspapers are largely subsidized or muzzled, public opinion silenced, business prostrated, homes covered with mortgages, labor impoverished, and the land concentrating in the hands of capitalists. The urban workmen are denied the right of organization for self-protection, imported pauperized labor beats down their wages, a hireling standing army, unrecognized by our laws, is established to shoot them down, and they are rapidly degenerating into European conditions. The fruits of the toil of millions are boldly stolen to build up colossal fortunes for a few, unprecedented in the history of mankind; and the possessors of these, in turn, despise the Republic and endanger liberty. . . .
We have witnessed for more than a quarter of a century the struggles of the two great political parties for power and plunder, while grievous wrongs have been inflicted upon the suffering people. We charge that the controlling influences dominating both these parties have permitted the existing dreadful conditions to develop without serious effort to prevent or restrain them. Neither do they now promise us any substantial reform. They have agreed together to ignore, in the coming campaign, every issue but one. They propose to drown the outcries of a plundered people with the uproar of a sham battle over the tariff, so that capitalists, corporations, national banks, rings, trusts, watered stock, the demonetization of silver and the oppressions of the usurers may all be lost sight of. They propose to sacrifice our homes, lives, and children on the altar of mammon; to destroy the multitude in order to secure corruption funds from the millionaires.
Use the excerpt to answer the question.
Which of the following BEST summarizes the Populist Party position on the impact of industrialization and commercialization in the United States as stated in its platform?
A.
The debate over silver and gold has compromised the stability of U.S. currency, slowing economic production and growth and driving down wages.
B.
Profit-driven commercialization has made the two dominant political parties servants of big business at the expense of workers and farmers.
C.
Economic entrepreneurship has given rise to reform-minded leaders determined to reshape government policy along a more efficient business model.
D.
The focus on industrial output has spurred new inequities and divisions among farmers, workers, and business owners, giving rise to corrupt third parties.
B. Profit-driven commercialization has made the two dominant political parties servants of big business at the expense of workers and farmers.
The correct answer is B. Profit-driven commercialization has made the two dominant political parties servants of big business at the expense of workers and farmers. This is evident in the excerpt where the Populist Party accuses the controlling influences of both political parties of allowing dreadful conditions to develop without serious effort to prevent or restrain them. The platform also highlights the concentration of land in the hands of capitalists, the denial of rights for urban workers, and the detrimental impact of imported labor on wages.
The best answer is B. Profit-driven commercialization has made the two dominant political parties servants of big business at the expense of workers and farmers.
The excerpt from the Populist Party Platform expresses a strong critique of the existing political and economic system in the United States. It highlights the negative consequences of industrialization and commercialization, such as corruption, concentration of wealth, and the suppression of working-class rights. The Populist Party argues that the two dominant political parties have allowed these conditions to develop without making any serious efforts to address them. They accuse the parties of being controlled by the interests of capitalists and corporations, leading to the neglect of the working class and farmers. Therefore, the best summary of the Populist Party's position is that profit-driven commercialization has made the two dominant political parties servants of big business at the expense of workers and farmers.