Populism And Populists, Three Non-Definitions!
How does one define Populism!? It maybe easier to eliminate some of the common phrases, images and tropes that come to mind when the word is invoked.
So, here is what it is NOT:
- It is NOT a particular political or governing philosophy
- It is NOT fascist, dictatorial or non-democratic
- It is NOT exclusively left or right wing oriented
We can expand on each of these attempts to outline what it is not and at the end, it would be sensible to explore what makes populism less scary a prospect in a democratic setup than most people believe.
Populism is not a particular political or governing philosophy however it can pave the road for someone with ambitions to traverse the political landscape as a political leader. The origin of populism is tied to the People’s Party in the late 19th century in the US and while it is probably sensible to put the origin of politics by means of populism to the rise of the people’s party in the 1890s, the struggle was not unique to that time in America.
The conflict between the high-handed wealthy (both in the British monarchy and colonies) and the “powerless” who nonetheless had control of their lives and the lives of their charges (dependents and slaves) with the considerable yet sole encumbrance of taxation without representation to the crown continues to run through the American life beyond independence from the British. (The Populist Persuasion —…
