progressive politics generally wants to change government in a new way. unlike conservatism which wants to keep government similar. it most often refers to a political movement in the united states in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, called the progressive era. in the united states, these people wanted to change politics, which was at that time run by big business and corrupt political machines. most of the people who believed in the progressive movement were part of the middle class. some of the leaders of the progressive movement were theodore roosevelt, hiram johnson , william howard taft, robert m. la follette, sr., franklin d. roosevelt, and howard dean.