The Democratic Paradox

Speaking at the University of Chicago in 1897, Robert M. La Follette enjoined his listeners to “Go back to the first principles of democracy; go back to the people.”

La Follette and the Progressive Movement claimed to be redeeming the traditional American democratic philosophy with their stress on popular choice; but their view actually represented a novel doctrine. After all, more than three decades earlier Abraham Lincoln had presumed that ours was already a government “by the people.” But the democracy Lincoln—and the Founding Fathers—spoke of was a limited one. The connection between citizens and their government was largely indirect. An elaborate system of middlemen, opinion leaders, local elites, and party structures insulated citizens from their representatives.

Speaking at the University of Chicago in 1897, Robert M. La Follette enjoined his listeners to “Go back to the first principles of democracy; go back to the people.”

La Follette and the Progressive Movement claimed to be redeeming the traditional American democratic philosophy with their stress on popular choice; but their view actually represented a novel doctrine. After all, more than three decades earlier Abraham Lincoln had presumed that ours was already a government “by the people.” But the democracy Lincoln—and the Founding Fathers—spoke of was a limited one. The connection between citizens and their government was largely indirect. An elaborate system of middlemen, opinion leaders, local elites, and party structures insulated citizens from their representatives.