.png)
🔻 Chapter 8: Populism – Summary (Point-wise) 🔻
1. Definition and Origins
- From Latin populus = “people.”
- Originally linked to the US People’s Party (1892).
- Two core principles:
- a) Adulation of ‘the people’,
- b) Condemnation of ‘the elite’.
- Populism is a thin-centred ideology—it borrows from host ideologies like socialism, nationalism, and conservatism.
2. Historical Overview
- Russia (1870s): Narodniki believed in peasant-led revolution.
- USA (1890s): People’s Party campaigned against industrial elites.
- 1930s–40s Latin America: Populism under Juan Perón, focused on charisma and economic justice.
- Post-2000s: Populism exploded globally—Trump, Brexit, Orban, Erdogan, Bolsonaro, Podemos, Syriza.
3. Core Themes
- The People: Defined variously—culturally, ethnically, or economically.
- The Elite: “Corrupt,” distant rulers who don’t represent ordinary folk.
- Populist Democracy: Majoritarianism + direct democracy (plebiscites, referendums).
- Anti-Politics: Resentment toward establishment politics.
- Manicheanism: Politics as a battle between Good (people) vs. Evil (elite).
4. Types of Populism
Right-Wing Populism:
- Anti-immigration, national identity, cultural backlash.
- Subtypes: National Populism (ethnic identity) & Authoritarian Populism (strongman politics).
Left-Wing Populism:
- Focus on inequality, anti-globalization, and class justice.
- Often overlaps with radical democracy and socialism.
Examples:
- Left: Hugo Chávez (Chavismo), Syriza, Podemos, Occupy Wall Street.
- Right: Trump, Orban, Marine Le Pen, Bolsonaro.
📘 Table of Key Populist Thinkers
| Thinker/Leader | Core Ideas | Key Work(s)/Acts |
|---|---|---|
| Juan Perón | Latin American populism; state-led justice; charisma-based legitimacy | Policies during Argentine presidency (1946–1955) |
| Donald Trump | Economic nationalism; anti-elitism; populist outsider status | “Make America Great Again” campaign speeches |
| Hugo Chávez | Chavismo; Bolivarian socialism; anti-imperialism; nationalization of resources | Bolivarian Revolution policy framework |
| Viktor Orbán | Illiberal democracy; Christian identity; anti-immigration | 2014 speech on “Eastern” political systems |
| Marine Le Pen | National populism; “France for the French”; anti-globalism | National Rally platform |
| Ernesto Laclau | Populism as political logic; constructing ‘the people’ through discourse | On Populist Reason (2005) |
| Chantal Mouffe | Radical democracy; populism = democratization of democracy | For a Left Populism (2018) |
| Paul Taggart | The “heartland” myth in populism | Populism (2000) |
| Cas Mudde & Rovira Kaltwasser | Populism as a thin-centred ideology; manichean logic, people vs. elite | Populism: A Very Short Introduction (2017) |
| Ronald Inglehart & Pippa Norris | Populism as cultural backlash against liberal/postmaterialist values | Cultural Backlash (2019) |
| Jean-Jacques Rousseau | Roots of direct democracy; general will = people’s will | The Social Contract |
🔮 Future of Populism – Key Points
- Populism comes in waves, not a permanent fixture.
- Struggles between:
- Radical purity (protest mode).
- Pragmatic outreach (mainstream mode).
- Risks:
- Stays radical → stuck at the margins.
- Becomes pragmatic → betrays its base.
- Still rising due to economic inequality, cultural backlash, and crisis of liberal democracy.