"The Blue and the Gray"

As an electoral strategy, Populists attempted to form several coalitions.  The southern and western sections of the nation had similar debtor economies.  Inhabitants believed that railroads and northeastern financial interests unfairly exploited them.   Civil War and Reconstruction animosities were the most important obstacle to cooperation between these sections (the West was settled mostly by northerners).  Still, this proved to be the Populist's most successful coalition.

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