AGRICULTURAL DISCONTENT 

 IN THE MIDDLE WEST is the first 

 broad historical treatment of agrarian 

 unrest in the twentieth-century United 

 States. It is the story of how American 

 agriculture formulated its objectives and 

 gained the political power that it has 

 used so effectively during the past dec- 

 ade. This is a realistic study, taking 

 into account the farm legislation en- 

 acted in Washington, but focusing at- 

 tention on the discontent in the Middle 

 West, one of the most vocal and most 

 effectively organized farm regions in 

 the country. 



Beginning with an exploration of the 

 causes of unrest, the' authors trace the 

 tumultuous course of the farm move- 

 ment through the inflation of World 

 War I, the subsequent depression of the 

 early twenties, and the great depression 

 of the thirties to the outbreak of World 

 War II. From the soil prepared by the 

 Populists sprang numerous organiza- 

 tions, all having the same purpose: to 

 bring more equitable returns to the 

 farmer. The American Society of Equity 

 first proposed the withholding of crops 

 from the market and later embraced 

 cooperatives. Other groups urged politi- 

 cal rather than economic action. One of 

 these was the Nonpartisan League, 

 which ultimately merged with the Far- 

 mer-Laborites, Progressives, and Liber- 

 als. The American Farm Bureau Federa- 

 tion was organized in an attempt to 

 bring rival farm groups into one major 

 body, but there was much disagreement 

 over objectives and means. 



Among the prescriptions for the ills 

 of agriculture were the McNary-Haugen 

 proposals, calling for "cost of produc- 



The jacket shows tht ana of the farm strike of 1933. 



