Although E. L. Doctorow sets his novel in an era that preceded his own by some seventy- five years, many of the issues addressed in Ragtime remain similar to those faced by members of American society in the mid- 1970s. The novel focuses on social change based primarily on two early twentieth century movements- progressivism and radicalism. Through historical and fictional characters alike, Doctorow examines America's reaction to different forms of social evolution.
The Progressive movement. The Progressive movement was a campaign for economic, political, and social reform that swept through the United States at the turn of the twentieth century. From its genesis during a nationwide depression in 1893, the Progressive movement's leaders battled to bring change to American life up until the country's entry into World War I in 1917. With the rise of industrialization in the late 1800s, the United States found itself susceptible to business monopolies, crowded city slums, poor working conditions, and dishonest politicians. The reformers of the late 1890s and early 1900s sought legislation that would right these wrongs. By 1905 they had termed themselves "Progressives."
The majority of the reform leaders came from economically secure, well-educated, upper-middle- class backgrounds.
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