Presidential compare and contrast Progressivism Essay

Presidential compare and contrast Progressivism - Essay Example between the presidential campaign rhetoric and policies of presidents while in office at the end of an election period with particular attention to the eventual winner of the 1912 election Woodrow Wilson. Theodore Roosevelt was formerly a Republican but he ran as the standard bearer of the Progressive party after bolting from the Republican party while Woodrow Wilson, the governor of New Jersey, was the Democratic candidate and final winner of the 1912 US election. Unlike, Roosevelt, Wilson was not only a Ph. D holder, but also a gilded professor and president of Princeton University, attributes that highly conformed with the progressive’s belief in higher education as the means to reforming the American democracy. Nonetheless, both candidates shared their generation’s ideals and enthusiasm for progressivism, a reformists’ attempt to enhance the role of government in the lives of the American people; undoubtedly, these two figures stand out as the principal architects of the modern American politics. With the phenomenon of increasing private economic power in the 19th century as a result of the wave of corporate mergers, corporate management increasingly asserted its own interests at the expense of the people. Driven by progressive ideals in the progressive era, both candidates acknowledged the need to defend the interests of the general public from the deprivation of the private corporations; in that respect, both candidates were in agreement that the government was supposed to play an active role in regulating the economy. Nonetheless, the political vision of these two leaders differed greatly since unlike Wilson, Roosevelt was more interested in government intervention in the economy; precisely, Roosevelt sought to create regulatory agencies to oversee business while exploiting government power using measures like minimum wage to help the people. Roosevelt believed that the government must supervise and regulate the corporations to ensure that they act