The US presidential election of 1896 included one of the most complicated campaigns and was considered one of the most complicated elections in the history of the country. The two candidates were William McKinley and William Jennings Bryan.
For McKinley, the importance of the bond between businessmen, factory workers and farmers was vital to changing the political system as it was at the time. His power laid in the North. Whereas, Bryan was strongest in the south, as a result of the coalition between the Democrats and several other parities.
As in most US presidential elections, the economy was a large issue going into the election. The importance of the impact of tariffs was crucial to the campaign, as was the gold standard. In fact, these issues were so important that the impact of the campaign and presidency can still be seen in economic standards today. In addition, the impact was seen in many presidential election since the election of 1896.
McKinley won the election and it is believed that his focus on key issues, such as industrial growth, had a big impact on his election win. In fact,many of his policies continue to impact American industry.
The election of 1896 was the first time in twenty four years that a Republican had won a majority of the popular vote. However, the liberal ideals set out by Bryan also had a great impact on the country and continue to do so.
