Light

Robert La Follette

Definition

Robert La Follette was a progressive politician from Wisconsin who served as governor and U.S. senator in the early 20th century. He advocated for political reforms to increase direct democracy, such as recall elections and primary nominations.

Analogy

Think of Robert La Follette like your school's student council president who always pushes for more student involvement in decision-making processes, like voting on prom themes or cafeteria menu changes.

Related terms

Progressive Era: A period of widespread social activism and political reform across the United States that spanned the 1890s to the 1920s. The main objectives were eliminating problems caused by industrialization, urbanization, immigration, and corruption in government.

Direct Democracy: A form of government where citizens vote directly on laws and policies rather than through representatives. It's like when everyone in class gets a vote on what movie to watch instead of just letting the teacher decide.

Recall Election: A procedure by which voters can remove an elected official from office through a direct vote before their term has ended. Imagine if students could hold a vote to replace their student council president if they weren't happy with their performance.