In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Populist Party and the Progressive movement wanted to preserve certain things, while also addressing the need for reform. Although many of the ideas and goals of these "third parties" were not initially legislated and considered far-fetched, many of these ideas later became fundamental laws throughout American history. Both the Populists and the Progressives were grassroots movements and addressed the needs of the poor and powerless. For the populists, these were farmers and for the progressives, lower- and middle-class urban workers. These two movements attempted to bring the questions of powerless people to national politics. Populists and progressives wanted to preserve certain American ideals of the past, such as the sense of community and the ability of farmers and workers to live happily without economic constraints. Populists were more oriented toward the plight of farmers, while progressives included women's rights and consumer and worker protections. The Populist movement was established in 1891. It grew primarily from the agrarian sector of the economy and was primarily based among white farmers. Farmers feared that eastern industrialists and bankers were gaining too much influence, power, and control over the government. During the “recession” cycle and times of hardship, farmers came together, talked about their problems and formed the Populist Party. Populists were formed because of the challenges and difficulties they faced on a daily basis. These challenges included poor harvests, falling prices and inability to repay loans. The populist party called for reforms by wanting the government to intervene and mitigate the impact of economic depressions, regularly...... middle of paper ......ch was a democracy and also wanted to limit the rise of big business and capitalists. Progressives attempted to reform American institutions while preserving past ideals, such as a sense of community. A major concern of progressives was how Corporate America conducted its business. Progressives have called for further reforms and proposed policy measures to make government more responsive to voters' desires. Progressives also believed in the power of science and technology to solve social problems. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Populist Party and the Progressive movement wanted to preserve certain things, while meeting the need for reform. Although many of the ideas and goals of these "third parties" were not initially legislated and considered far-fetched, many of these ideas later became fundamental laws throughout American history...