At the dawn of the 20th century, a spark of political radicalism ignited long-held resentments and turned a small agrarian protest movement into a national political prairie fire. Called the last of the great farmer’s crusades, The Rise and Fall of the Nonpartisan League is a story fraught with political intrigue, back room dealings, conspiracies, riots, red baiting, slander, and libel. Although in the end the Nonpartisan League was doomed to fail as a national force, the legacy of protest shaped the political landscape of the Great Plains today.
This three-part documentary series examines Minnesota and North Dakota farmers who, for a time, took control of their own economic destinies and organized themselves to challenge the grain marketing, railroad, and banking monopolies that denied them the profits of their own labor:
Disc 1
We'll Stick We’ll Win
Storms On The Horizon
Disc 2
Resurgence
The All Stars of the Nonpartisan League
Bonus Features
Producer: Kim Stenehjem
Editors: Cassie Pierce, Kelly Johnson, Tyler LeBlanc
Production funding was provided by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund, the North Dakota Humanities Council, and the members of Prairie Public.
