To what extent was the Populist movement a true attempt at democratic reform?.

As with most of these "to what extent" questions, the
answer is "to some extent."  There were aspects of the Populist movement that were
democratic, but there were other aspects that had little to do with democracy and had
more to do with the economic interests of the Populists
themselves.

Let us look at some of the Populists' goals
that really were democratic.  They
wanted:

• direct election of
  Senators


• Initiatives


• Referendums

All
of these are reforms that clearly allow for more democracy.  In each case, the people
get to have a more direct say in more governmental matters.  These are democratic
reforms.

On the other hand, Populists also
wanted:

• "Free
  silver"


• Progressive income
  tax


• Government ownership of
  utilities


• Shorter
  workdays


• Immigration
  restriction

None of these things actually
brings about more democracy.  Instead, these are all things that are aimed at improving
the economic situation of the Populists.

Therefore, the
Populist movement was partially an attempt at democratic reform and partially just an
attempt to gain benefits for a certain group of people.