The populist party, although having some good points, was not a party fit to rule the United States. The populists represented a radical view of the society of the time that is was formed in the late 1800s. Some of the points brought up by the party would have benefitted society. However the clear majority would have turned the entire capitalist society present in the United states upside down.
             The populist party argued various points that were beneficial to society. Some of the points of the party were changes that were necessary at the time. For example, the idea of the initiative. This idea helped increase democracy by allowing people to bring up laws that their corrupt or incompetent leaders could not. Also the ideas of a referendum and a recall further helped the democratic cause by giving voters more power on certain issues and over corrupt leaders. Also the apparent cause for their formation was itself honorable. They represented the classes who were forsaken by both the republicans and the democrats. They gave a voice to suffering farmers struck hard by the cycle of over production, which kept them in continuous debt. They also helped raise issues of importance to workers, who were being abused by the huge corporations, such as a shorter workday. Even though the populists never won a presidency they were effective in forcing the major parties to focus more on the laymen, since if a party did not the vote would have went to the populists. Therefore the populists were able to give more recognition to everyday people.
             Despite these righteous causes and ideas, the populists were a danger to a capitalist society. The populist platform of 1896, lead by William Jennings Bryan, strove to help the workers and
             farmers, but would have only hurt them in the end. Their idea of free coinage of silver would have freed up the debts of the farmers at first, but would have later resulted in an even larger debt as the cost of everythin
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