 Grange poster depicting the independent, industrious farmer as the keystone figure in society. Jump to: navigation, search Image File history File links Download high resolution version (979x725, 173 KB) Summary Source: Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi Scan of old poster. ...
Jump to: navigation, search Image File history File links Download high resolution version (979x725, 173 KB) Summary Source: Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi Scan of old poster. ...
Grange Hall in Maine, circa 1910 The Grange movement in the United States involved the affiliation of local farmers into area granges to work for their political and economic advantages. ...
General Position Producerism, sometimes referred to as "producer radicalism," is an ideology of populist economic nationalism which holds that the productive forces of society - the ordinary worker, the small businessman, and the entrepreneur, are being held back by parasitical elements at both the top and bottom of the social stratum. Jump to: navigation, search Populism is a political philosophy or rhetorical style that holds that the common person is oppressed by the elite in society, and that the instruments of the State need to be grasped from this self-serving elite and used for the benefit and advancement of the...
Jump to: navigation, search // Nationalism is an ideology which holds that the nation, ethnicity or national identity is a fundamental unit of human social life, and makes certain political claims based upon that belief; above all, the claim that the nation is the only legitimate basis for the state, and...
Producerism sees society's strength "drained from both ends," from the top by the machinations of globalized "financial capital" and the large, politcally-connected corporations which together conspire to restrict free enterprise, avoid taxes and destroy the fortunes of the honest businessman, and from the bottom by members of the underclass whose reliance on welfare and government benefits drains the treasury. Critics of producerism see this analysis of the poltical economy as easily leading to Anti-Semitic and/or Racist conclusions, as Jews are often associated with finance and other minorities with the abuse of public generosity. But most supporters of producerism do not identify as racist or antisemitic, and denounce such charges as ad hominem attacks. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...
An African-American drinks out of a water fountain marked for colored in 1939 at a street car terminal in Oklahoma City. ...
Jump to: navigation, search An ad hominem argument, also known as argumentum ad hominem (Latin, literally argument to the man), is a logical fallacy that involves replying to an argument or assertion by addressing the person presenting the argument or assertion rather than the argument itself. ...
Despite this, anti-immigration rhetoric is central to modern Producerism. Immigrants are viewed as a threat to the prosperity of the middle class, a drain on social services, and as a vanguard of globalization that threatens to destroy national identities. Anti-immigrant and anti-immigration are labels that are often considered inaccurate or prejudicial by those to whom they are applied. ...
In the United States, Producerists are distrustful of both major political parties. The Republican Party is rejected for its support of corrupt "Big Business" and the Democratic Party for its advocacy of the unproductive poor. The Reform Party of the United States of America is seen by many as the only organized party that furthers the Producerist cause. Republican Party is a name used by many political parties. ...
Jump to: navigation, search Democratic Party may refer to one of many political parties of diverse political orientation: Democratic Parties Albania—Democratic Alliance Party, Democratic Party (Albania), and Democratic Party of Albania Andorra—Democratic Party (Andorra) Australia—Australian Democrats Benin—Democratic Party (Benin) (Parti Démocratique) Bosnia and Herzegovina—Croatian...
Jump to: navigation, search The Reform Party of the United States of America (abbreviated Reform Party USA or RPUSA) is a political party in the United States, founded by Ross Perot in 1995 who said Americans were disillusioned with the state of politics--as being corrupt and unable to deal...
Producerism is sympathetic to the sentiment that labor is an end in itself, inherently ennobling, and thus should be protected at least to some extent from the chaotic forces of consumer choice and market competition. In some Commonwealth countries, this sentiment is used as an abstract definition of Producerism, which is then held as the opposite of an abstract consumerism, the position that the free choice of the consumer should dictate the economic activity of a society. In other parts of the world, especially the United States, such a clear-cut definition is not feasible. Flag of the Commonwealth of Nations The Commonwealth of Nations is a voluntary association of independent sovereign states, most of which were once governed by the United Kingdom and are its former colonies. ...
Jump to: navigation, search Consumerism is a term used to describe the effects of equating personal happiness with purchasing material possessions and consumption. ...
A Debated History, and an Uncertain Present Some hold that American Producerism has its roots in the populist politics of Andrew Jackson and in the tariffs and protections of Henry Clay's American System, even though these two figures were political rivals. Others look even further back in history, to the farmers' rebellions of the post-colonial period and the Presidency of Jefferson, who has been described as originating or at least adopting the rhetoric of producerism while enacting policies antithetical towards it, namely unregulated trade and the expansion of slavery. Jump to: navigation, search Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845), one of the founders of the Democratic Party, was the seventh President of the United States, serving from 1829 to 1837. ...
Jump to: navigation, search Henry Clay Henry Clay (April 12, 1777 in Hanover County, Virginia – June 29, 1852 in Washington, D.C.) was an American statesman and orator who served in both the House of Representatives and Senate. ...
The American System was an economic regime pioneered by Henry Clay which created a high tariff to support internal improvements such as road-building. ...
Jefferson is any of several places in the United States named for Thomas Jefferson: small towns in Georgia, Maine, New Hampshire and Texas; counties in Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, West Virginia, Wisconsin; a parish in Louisiana...
Early Producerism, if it can be called such, was abolitionist not on moral grounds but because slaves depressed the wages of free working men. Thus its sentiment was not to grant blacks rights and citizenship but rather to send them back to Africa or grant them an independent nation in the tropics. The racism that some see as inherent in producerism perhaps has its genesis here - in the perception of not only the Plantation Economy but the "Negro" himself as a threat to the prosperity of the independent white worker or small businessman. This article is about the abolition of slavery. ...
While such theories remain speculative, most historians would agree that by the time of the Guilded Age and the candidacy of William Jennings Bryan Producerist currents are clearly visible in American society. Bryan's synthesis of leftist economic programs with religious fundamentalism has had a lasting, perhaps defining, influence on the ideology. Jump to: navigation, search The Gilded Age was the era of economic development and intense generation and transfers of wealth in the United States from approximately 1876 to 1914. ...
Jump to: navigation, search William Jennings Bryan, 1907 William Jennings Bryan, (March 19, 1860 – July 26, 1925) born in Salem, Illinois, was a gifted orator and three-time United States Democratic nominee for President. ...
Jump to: navigation, search In comparative religion, fundamentalism has come to refer to several different understandings of religious thought and practice, including literal interpretation of sacred texts such as the Bible or the Quran and sometimes also anti-modernist movements in various religions. ...
Despite its long historical legacy, the idea of Producerism as a defined political position outside of the common left-right axis only began to attract serious interst in the 1980s, when the dual concerns of foreign competition and domestic decay began to radicalize culturally conventional Americans, attracting the interest (and concern) of academia, which then sought out the roots of the phenomenon in 19th-century Populism or even 18th-century rural unrest.
Even at the present time there are very few politicians and commentators who define themselves as Producerist or anti-Producerist, and among those in the general public who would be sympathetic to a Producerist program or political party only a vanishingly small percentage are even aware of the term. This low level of ideological consciousness results, at least in part, from the fact that almost by definition Producerism lacks advocates at the elite level, and as a consequence it has not been able to summon the intellectual forces necessary to codify and propagate its tenents. Furthermore, Producerism has no primordial icon, no Marx or Adam Smith to rally around and give the movement a solid identity. Marx is a common German surname. ...
Jump to: navigation, search For other people named Adam Smith, see Adam Smith (disambiguation). ...
Therefore it is difficult to say exactly what Producerism is beyond the broad themes of nationalism, protectionism, and opposition to the welfare state and immigration. Some historians use the term as a synonym for the right wing or rural elements of a form of populism peculiar to late 19th-century America, and as a result do not consider any modern or non-American movements as Producerist. Others, however, define Producerism as a thoroughly recent position that arose in numerous Western countries in reaction to the combined stresses of the liberal Big Government trend that followed the Second World War and the globalization of recent decades, while recognizing that it drew on earlier sentiments. Jump to: navigation, search Protectionism is the economic policy of protecting a nations manufacturing base from the effects of foreign competition by means of very high tariffs on imported goods, restrictive quotas, or other means of reducing importation. ...
Jump to: navigation, search There are three main interpretations of the idea of a welfare state: the provision of welfare services by the state. ...
Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ...
Jump to: navigation, search Globalization (or globalisation) is a modern term used to describe the changes in societies and the world economy that result from dramatically increased international trade and cultural exchange. ...
Relation to Other Ideologies As an attempt to place it within a broader framework of economic ideologies, Producerism can be viewed as a form of middle-class militancy feeding off a "dual-edged resentment" against both rich and poor. Like Marxism, it subscribes to the labor theory of value and supports a narrative of exploitation between the classes, but there is a crucial difference between the two systems: Producerists believe that it is the middle class, not the proletariat, which generates the surplus value that is then expropriated by parasitic elements. Also, while Marx viewed capital as a monolithic interest, Producerists distinguish between productive domestic industrial capital that serves the national interest and speculative, idle financial capital that holds no patriotic loyalties and is international in nature. Jump to: navigation, search Marxism is the political practice and social theory based on the works of Karl Marx, a 19th century German philosopher, economist, journalist, and revolutionary, along with Friedrich Engels. ...
Jump to: navigation, search The labor theory of value (LTV) is a theory in economics and political economy concerning a market-oriented or commodity-producing society: the theory equates the value of an exchangeable good or service (i. ...
Jump to: navigation, search T I AM YOUR KING ME ME ME MEhe proletariat (from Latin proles, offspring) is a term used to identify a lower social class; a member of such a class isproletarian. ...
Surplus value, according to Marxism, is unpaid labour that is extracted from the worker by the capitalist, and serves as the basis for capitalist accumulation. ...
There are points of contact between Producerism and fascism as well: Producerism is closely associated with highly nationalistic right-wing thematics championing the traditional values of the "common man" against a morally corrupt and traitorous elite and, like fascism, it supports strong State intervention in the economy as necessary to preserve national strength and identity. The openly racist thinking that exists in certain Producerist circles is another similarity. Jump to: navigation, search Fascism (in Italian, fascismo), capitalized, was the authoritarian political movement which ruled Italy from 1922 to 1943 under the leadership of Benito Mussolini. ...
However, Producerism, especially in its American incarnation, also holds to an idealization of the "rugged individual" and a sense of freedom and self-determination that would be antithetical to any conventional conception of fascism or Marxism.
Position on Social Issues Although primarily economic in emphasis, Producerism has a perspective on social issues as well, namely that the traditional values of the middle class are the only true national values, and these are to be defended on one side against the corruption of decadent inherited wealth and on the other from the dangerous apathy and sloth it sees as being the inevitable consequents of dependency on the welfare state. Therefore, Producerists tend to be patriotic but intensely distrustful of the State, which they believe to be under the control of forces hostile to the nation, and sympathetic towards conservative Christianity, seen as a defender against both the moral degeneracy of the poor and the rapaciousness of unbridled capitalism. Jump to: navigation, search There are three main interpretations of the idea of a welfare state: the provision of welfare services by the state. ...
However, it would be a mistake to equate Producerism with a religious worldview. Its emphasis on economics, labor and class distinctions embues it with a materialism not entirely compatible with a purely spiritual outlook.
Split Attitutes towards both Unions and Business Producerists will tend to support skilled-craft trade unions, as organizations of "ordinary men" creating goods beneficial to society, but oppose left-wing, revolutionary unions or those that claim to speak for the lower ranks of society in general. National, industrial corporations, that is, those that produce tangible goods in domestic facilities, are looked upon favorably, while international, globalized companies that engage in outsourcing, "sending jobs abroad" or those that earn their profits from the abstract financial world are treated with hostility in Producerist circles. This disposition is sometimes referred to as "business nationalism." High tariffs and protectionist policies are regarded as not only beneficial to workers, but essential to the long-term survival of the domestic economy. A union (labor union in American English; trade union, sometimes trades union, in British English; either labour union or trade union in Canadian English) is a legal entity consisting of employees or workers having a common interest, such as all the assembly workers for one employer, or all the workers...
Jump to: navigation, search Outsourcing (or contracting out) is often defined as the delegation of non-core operations or jobs from internal production to an external entity (such as a subcontractor) that specializes in that operation. ...
Protectionism is the economic policy of promoting favored domestic industries through the use of high tariffs and other regulations to discourage imports. ...
The domestic innovators and patriotic industrialists such as Henry Ford, Lee Iacocca and Sam Walton are the heroes in this view of the business world, while the cost-cutting CEOs and unaccountable financiers are the villains. Free trade is held to be a conspiracy either of a foreign nation or nations secretly aligned against the Producerist's country, or a plot by shadowy "internationalist" elements. This latter strain of thought is more associated with Anti-Semitic and conspiracist thinking than the former. As an example, for moderate American Producerists, the threat is China. For the extremists, it is Israel and the Freemasons. Jump to: navigation, search Time Magazine, January 14, 1935 Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was the founder of the Ford Motor Company. ...
Lee Iacocca Lee Iacocca (born October 15, 1924 in Allentown, Pennsylvania) is an American industrialist. ...
Jump to: navigation, search Samuel Moore Walton (March 29, 1918 – April 5, 1992) was the founder of the giant American retailer Wal-Mart. ...
Free trade is an economic concept referring to the selling of products between countries without tariffs or other trade barriers. ...
Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...
American Square & Compasses Freemasonry is a worldwide fraternal organization. ...
Disputing the "Producerist" Label While it does exist as a widespread if rarely commented-upon political position, it must be noted that often "Producerism" is simply an epithet used by Left-wing groups to disparage rival forms of economic dissent.
Figures who have been called Producerist or associated with Producerism, although they may not use the term to describe themselves, include Ross Perot and Pat Buchanan. Some have associated Producerism with the wider phenomenon of the Radical Middle, but such comparisons remain controversial. In general, it can be said that the average Producerist tends more towards nationalism, conspiracist thinking and anti-globalization than does the typical member of the Radical Middle. Henry Ross Perot, known to most as Ross Perot (prior to 1992, generally known as H. Ross Perot by the public) (born June 27, 1930), is a billionaire American businessman from Texas best known as a candidate for President of the United States (in 1992 and 1996). ...
Jump to: navigation, search Patrick Buchanan Pat Buchanan (born November 2, 1938), is an American author, syndicated columnist, and television commentator. ...
The term Radical Middle refers to a type of third way philosophy as well as an associated political movement. ...
Jump to: navigation, search // Nationalism is an ideology which holds that the nation, ethnicity or national identity is a fundamental unit of human social life, and makes certain political claims based upon that belief; above all, the claim that the nation is the only legitimate basis for the state, and...
Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...
Perhaps a more salient distinction is this: The Radical Middle is of the opinion that "government doesn't work" and must be overhauled, that is, government is well-intentioned but dysfunctional. Producerism believes government as currently constituted is ill-intentioned but quite functional - actively advancing the interests of international capital and the servile underclass it manipulates for the votes it needs to stay in power.
Related Articles Jump to: navigation, search William Jennings Bryan, 1907 William Jennings Bryan, (March 19, 1860 – July 26, 1925) born in Salem, Illinois, was a gifted orator and three-time United States Democratic nominee for President. ...
Jump to: navigation, search Patrick Buchanan Pat Buchanan (born November 2, 1938), is an American author, syndicated columnist, and television commentator. ...
Jump to: navigation, search This proposed logo for a U.S. government agency was dropped due to fears that its Masonic symbolism would provoke conspiracy theories. ...
Arthur Griffith (Ãrt Ó GrÃofa in Irish) (31 March 1871 - 12 August 1922) was the founder and first leader of Sinn Féin. ...
Jump to: navigation, search A painting of a French seaport from 1638, at the height of mercantilism. ...
The middle class (or middle classes) comprises a social group once defined by exception as an intermediate social class between the nobility and the peasantry. ...
Jump to: navigation, search Paleoconservatism (sometimes shortened to paleo or paleocon when the context is clear) refers to an American branch of conservative Old Right thought that is frequently at odds with the current of conservative thought as espoused by the Republican Party elite. ...
The term Radical Middle refers to a type of third way philosophy as well as an associated political movement. ...
Jump to: navigation, search The Reform Party of the United States of America (abbreviated Reform Party USA or RPUSA) is a political party in the United States, founded by Ross Perot in 1995 who said Americans were disillusioned with the state of politics--as being corrupt and unable to deal...
Henry Ross Perot, known to most as Ross Perot (prior to 1992, generally known as H. Ross Perot by the public) (born June 27, 1930), is a billionaire American businessman from Texas best known as a candidate for President of the United States (in 1992 and 1996). ...
External Links Supportive - Why Democrats Must Be Populists American Prospect article with a positive view of Producerism.
- Producerism.Org Neatly divides society into Producers and the "Looters" (elite) and "Moochers" (underclass) than exploit them.
Opposing The American Prospect is a monthly magazine which focuses on US politics and public policy. ...
- Hard Right Styles, Frames & Narratives Includes a short section on Producerism under "Populism."
- The Party of Privilege: The NDP Consensus and the Attack on the Poor A critique accusing a Canadian political party of being Producerist.
Scholarly
- Journeymen for Jesus: Evangelical Artisans Confront Capitalism in Jacksonian Baltimore Book proposing a Jacksonian and evangelical origin for Producerism
- Rural Radicals: Righteous Rage in the American Grain Book that argues for Producerist motivations in the Oklahoma City bombing
- Every Man a Speculator: A History of Wall Street in American Life Book that includes section on Producerist hostility towards financial capital.
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