How do we explain voter discontent? Why did Bernie Sanders gain such popularity at the same time as Donald Trump? What is different about one versus the other, and how can they both share the “populist” nomenclature? “The Populist Explosion”, by John B. Judis, published by Columbia Global Reports, provides an excellent framework and specific historical context for understanding the phenomenon of populism and its rise all over the world since the Great Recession of 2007.
Populism requires historical understanding because the rising up of “the people” versus the elite often embodies different specific policies and causes, depending on the times. Populism is a “logic”, not a specific set of policies. The populist movements in US history see ordinary people as virtuous, and the elites as self-serving and undemocratic. [Read more…] about “The Populist Explosion”, by John B. Judis, explains politics since 2008