What seems more likely

[Goldwater]

Why on earth would the 19th century GOP have any issue with industrialists and war profiteers?

[Goldwater]

Please stop

Shut up.

no u

[Goldwater]

Why on earth would the 19th century GOP have any issue with industrialists and war profiteers?

Wasn't there a slightly socialist wing of the GOP after the civil war? I know it collapsed afterwards, but I recall this.

Any movement dedicated to fighting the slave power is going to draw a very wide range of appeal on the ideological spectrum; let's not pretend like these "socialists" had literally any influence over GOP economic policy.

I actually disagree. Marxists would say that capitalism is a necessary step before the socialist revolution, which comes directly after agrarianism. The GOP until about 1880 could have theoretically been in line with socialist ideals.

You are on the wrong side of history, my friend. If Lincoln saw the current system, he would agree with social safety nets and government intervention during recessions. He would be fine with a black President and would think Trump is some type of buffoon. Lincoln wasn't a progressive, he was a moderate or even liberal Republican for the time, meaning he was opposed to the conservative wing of the GOP and the Democrats. The parties were arguably more  based on geography than ideology after the collapse of the Whigs.

The Democrats were classical liberals, in the sense that they were opposed to government intervention in the economy through tariffs and banks. They thought that type of stuff harmed workers and made the rich richer. The Republicans probably were divided on this, there were some moderates like Lincoln, but people like Fremont and Sumner might call themselves liberals or even radicals. The industrialists were probably mostly Republicans since they liked the idea of the government giving land to railroads.

So again, why would the 19th century GOP have any issue with the modern Republicans being thhe party of industrialists?