FORGOTTEN POPULISTS
When Farmers Turned Left to Save Democracy
This book tells the story of the real Populists
of the 1890s — the farmers and workers who
resisted corporate monopoly and fought for
an expanded democracy.
For more information, see the short YouTube
video below or tap on the "Book" tab above.
The Forgotten Populists of American history were forward-looking progressives opposed to the corporate Robber Barons of their day. They would have rejected the likes of Donald Trump— an arrogant billionaire and enemy of democracy. For today’s working people, the history of our Forgotten Populists and their profound impact on America is an inspiring story, one the media too often misrepresents. This video previews that history, as told in the illustrated paperback by Steve Babson: "Forgotten Populists: When Farmers Turned Left to Save Democracy."
“Steve Babson’s engagingly written and splendidly illustrated history of the late 19th century Populist movement recalls for us their remarkable commitment to democracy and racial justice and their hostility to corporate power. This movement of farmers – and workers! – came to define and advance much that— constituted 20th-century liberalism. Babson thereby rescues the populist idea from the racist and authoritarian connotations with which it has been saddled in recent decades.”
--Nelson Lichtenstein, University of California / Santa Barbara