The Analysis Of The Conservation Movement In The United States (1890-1920)

In the late 19th and early 20th century, The Conservation Movement raised for the nature resources defend in the U.S, which composed by a nongovernmental movement—Preservation Movement and a governmental movement—Conservation Movement. The movement is an important component of the America Environmental Protection history.The capitalist economy of American developed rapidly on the Progressive Era. Accompanied with the boosting of the industrialization, the situations of the environment disruptions became more seriously. To confronted with the increasingly serious environment crisis, some wised people in the government and society awaked, abundant the traditional conception to the nature, begin to explore the new way that the man and nature would live harmoniously.More broadly conceived the Environment Crisis it is the Survival Crisis of the humanity. It was a Change Era in the U.S. in that time, the dicarication was existed in the problem of how to treat the nature:The conservationists broke down the myth of "the inexhaustible nature resources of the America", believed in anthropocentrism, instructed by the scientific and efficient, advocated to protect the nature resources and then exploit it rationally, inhibit the resources profligacy; The preservationists abandon the thought of conquer and control the nature, instructed by the ecocentrism, writing the books, setting up the environmental groups, advertising the ideology of the protection, appealing the public transform the tradition conception of the nature to the new way, requesting the government take the action to protect the nature without the economic purpose. The root of the Preservation and Conservation hold the different conception of the nature protection is the ideology differ between them. The preservation was deeply influenced by the Transcendentalism, and the Conservation was a protection to strive the Pragmatism. This is the prominent sign to distinguish the two movements.The rich achievements were leaving behind of the Conservation Movement, list as follows: With the jointly strength of the society and government, the Movement keep for a long period, contained the appearances of destroy and abuse the nature resources, Periodical results have been achieved in that time, the basic environmental legislation was found, large numbers of nature resources were protected, the enormous National Forest System was established, all of this settled the material and ideological foundation for the following environment protection. More importantly, since the movement, the Americans begin to change their tradition conception to the nature, they have cognizance that the relation between the nature and humanity is not only the conquering and possessing, but also the adapting and equality.Judged from the perspective of the humanity developing, the expansion and decadency of the Conservation Movement opens out the contradiction of the evolution and protection,—namely the contradiction between the nature and human, which would existing in a long term. The humanity will develop and so will the contradiction. But we should aware that, the protection coram the evolution is just the a temporary expedient, the Sustainable Development of the nature resources still a major issue in the course of human advance.