The Threat of Populism

In its most basic form, populism is about the people of a nation demanding a voice in their political and social affairs. So why is populism a threat to democracy? This lecture will identify and discuss some of the key features of populism: the “us versus them” mentality; populism’s conflict with elitism; how mass dissatisfaction can give rise to mass political movements; the differences between left-wing and right-wing populism; the role of leadership in populism; and the difficulties scholars have defining populism (and the reasons for that). This lecture, by taking a look at the different theories informing populism and the debates about what populism actually is, will equip learners with a framework for contextualizing subsequent lectures on particular instances of populism in different countries and societies.