The History of Wisconsin, Volume IV
The Progressive Era, 1893–1914
John D. Buenker
A comprehensive look at two momentous decades in Wisconsin history, when profound changes confronted nearly every aspect of society while the state emerged as a national and global leader in social and political progress.
756 pages, 6 x 9, 57 b&w photos, 1 map
Hardcover: $40.00 | ISBN: 978-0-87020-303-9
Ebook: $19.99 | ISBN: 978-0-87020-631-3
Publication Date: 12/18/1998
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Description
Opening amid the blazing lights and fanfare of the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago and closing two decades later on the eve of the Great War, the period from 1893 to 1914 witnessed profound and permanent changes in every sector of Wisconsin society: industry and agriculture, transportation and communications, rural and urban life, popular culture and family values, public policy and social welfare, education and labor, politics and government. Chronicling what came to be known as “the Progressive Era,” this volume describes major reforms in politics, voting, education, the workplace, and the lives of women, children, and minorities. It was during this era that “the Wisconsin Idea” was articulated, elevating the state’s national and international reputation as a “laboratory of democracy.” The volume also describes the sweeping changes that occurred in Wisconsin’s agricultural communities and industry and manufacturing sectors during this time.
Books in the History of Wisconsin series:
The History of Wisconsin, Vol. I: From Exploration to Statehood
The History of Wisconsin, Vol. II: The Civil War Era, 1848–1873 (only available in electronic edition)
The History of Wisconsin, Vol. III: Industrialization and Urbanization, 1873–1893
The History of Wisconsin, Vol. IV: The Progressive Era, 1893–1914
The History of Wisconsin, Vol. V: War, a New Era, and Depression, 1914–1940
The History of Wisconsin, Vol. VI: Continuity and Change, 1940–1965
Author Bio
John D. Buenker
John D. Buenker spent the first twenty-two years of his life in Dubuque, Iowa, gazing across the Mississippi River at southwestern Wisconsin. From 1970 to 2003, he observed the state from its southeastern corner while teaching history at the University of Wisconsin–Parkside in Kenosha. ln between, he earned his PhD at Georgetown University and taught at state universities in Maryland and Illinois. At Parkside, he taught courses on the history of Wisconsin and of the Progressive Era, as well as in urban and ethnic history. Buenker is the author or editor of fifteen books, including the Wisconsin Historical Society Press’s Milwaukee in the 1930s: A Federal Writers Project City Guide. He also published more than 250 book chapters, articles in scholarly journals and reference works, and book reviews. Buenker passed away in 2020.
The History of Wisconsin, Vol. IV
The Progressive Era, 1893–1914
John D. Buenker
756 pages, 6 x 9, 57 b&w photos, 1 map
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