The Populist Party in the 1890s drew most support from which group?

• A. Urban factory workers
• B. Farmers in the South and West
• C. Industrial capitalists
• D. Professional elites

Answer: (B)

The main idea is that the Populist Party grew out of farmers’ grievances and built its strongest support among rural farmers. In the 1880s and 1890s, farmers in the South and West faced falling crop prices, heavy debt, and high railroad and freight rates. They organized through the Farmers’ Alliances and coalesced around a program—outlined in the Omaha Platform—that pushed for reforms like free coinage of silver, government ownership of railroads, and other measures to ease farmers’ economic squeeze. Those rural, agrarian communities were the backbone of the Populist movement, whereas industrial capitalists and professional elites did not align with its program, and urban factory workers were not the primary base.