What Is a Contemporary Progressive?

Contemporary progressives encompass a wide range of political beliefs. Most commonly, the term contemporary progressive is used to describe modern day leftist beliefs, distinct from the late 19th and early 20th century usage of the term.

Origins of the term progressive

The term progressive was first used to refer to populist left wing ideologies at the turn of the 19th century within the United States. The "progressive" label was favored over "liberal" until the 1930s.

Beginnings of contemporary progressives

Contemporary progressives have as their origins in the mass political movements of the 1960s, 70s, and 80s: Civil Rights, Feminism, and anti-Apartheid, among others.

Contemporary progressives

Individuals and organizations espousing left wing ideology began to use the term progressive to refer to themselves beginning in the 1990s, primarily to distance themselves from negative connotations associated with the term liberal.

Limitations of the term

Those referred to as "contemporary progressives'"or simply "progressives" encompass a wide variety of often conflicting ideologies. Organizations as diverse as socialists, libertarians, and centrist Democrats have all, at times, referred to themselves or their policies as progressive.

Examples of contemporary progressives

President Barack Obama, Senator Al Franken, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton all refer to themselves as progressive; both the Democratic Party and the Green Party do as well.

References

• The Commonweal institute