Module II·Article II·~2 min read
Populism: Morphology and Consequences
Contemporary Challenges: Democracy, Populism, Global Order
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What is Populism
Jan-Werner Müller, in "What Is Populism?" (2016), proposed an analytic definition: populism is a particular kind of politics based on the opposition between the "morally pure people" and the "corrupt elite." Key features:
Antipluralism: the populist leader claims that only he represents the "true people." Opponents are not other citizens with different views, but traitors, enemies of the people, servants of the elites. Legitimate opposition is denied.
Moral Monism: politics is not a clash of interests requiring compromise, but a battle of good against evil. Compromise with the "elite" is a betrayal of the "people."
Populist Style: an appeal to the "common person" against "experts," "globalists," "mainstream media." Deliberate anti-intellectual rhetoric.
It is important: populism is a "thin ideology" that connects with various "thick" ideologies: right-wing nationalism (Trump, Le Pen, Bolsonaro), left-wing socialism (Chávez, Morales, early Syriza), agrarian movements (historical Populists).
Why Populism Rises
Economic explanations: deindustrialization, rising inequality, the "losers of globalization"—workers who have lost jobs, communities that have lost industries. Their resentment is directed against the "elite," who have benefited from globalization.
Cultural explanations (Norris, Inglehart): a "cultural backlash" against progressive values—feminism, LGBT rights, multiculturalism—perceived as a threat to traditional identity.
Institutional explanations: declining trust in parties, parliaments, and experts creates a vacuum filled by charismatic outsiders.
Technological explanations: social networks circumvent traditional "gatekeepers" (editors, party bosses) and give populists direct access to the audience. Algorithms amplify emotional (especially angry) content.
Populism and Democracy
Populism is ambivalent regarding democracy: it appeals to popular sovereignty (democratic language) but undermines pluralism (anti-democratic logic).
In opposition, populism acts as the voice of those who are not heard—it can pressure entrenched elites and raise real issues. In power, it has a tendency to concentrate authority, delegitimize opposition, and undermine independent institutions.
The root of democracy lies in the recognition of the legitimacy of disagreement: another citizen can have different views, and that's normal. Populism denies this: only the "true people" are legitimate, and all others are traitors or enemies. This is fundamentally incompatible with democratic pluralism.
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