The Pullman strike of 1894 split the nation into liberal and conservative camps. In the 1896 presidential election, the populists gained control of the Democratic Party and nominated William Jennings Bryan for president. Those Democrats who supported President [[Grover Cleveland]], a conservative icon, fled to the Republican Party. William McKinley, the Republican nominee, won the general election. In this way, the Republican Party became a conservative pro-business party, the party of "sound money and protection." The 1896 election was the first in which a pro-union liberal party faced off against a pro-business conservative party. The ideological battle lines drawn at this time endured for generations. | The Pullman strike of 1894 split the nation into liberal and conservative camps. In the 1896 presidential election, the populists gained control of the Democratic Party and nominated William Jennings Bryan for president. Those Democrats who supported President [[Grover Cleveland]], a conservative icon, fled to the Republican Party. William McKinley, the Republican nominee, won the general election. In this way, the Republican Party became a conservative pro-business party, the party of "sound money and protection." The 1896 election was the first in which a pro-union liberal party faced off against a pro-business conservative party. The ideological battle lines drawn at this time endured for generations. |