Populism as a Concept and the Challenge of U.S. History
This paper explores the viability of populism as both a historical category and a political concept. Its starting point is the historical example of the first mass political expression that formed under the name of populism, and that was the U.S. People's Party of the 1890s. Although it carried...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Institut des Amériques
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| Series: | IdeAs |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.openedition.org/ideas/6472 |
| _version_ | 1797305862194200576 |
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| author | Charles Postel |
| author_facet | Charles Postel |
| author_sort | Charles Postel |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This paper explores the viability of populism as both a historical category and a political concept. Its starting point is the historical example of the first mass political expression that formed under the name of populism, and that was the U.S. People's Party of the 1890s. Although it carried the nickname of the Populist Party, this had virtually none of the meanings that were attached to the term populism at a later date. Historical populism in the U.S. was a farmer-labor movement that corresponded to labor and social-democratic movements across the late 19th -century capitalist world. This poses the challenge: is populism a capacious enough concept to include the U.S. historical precedent? Or does including the U.S. precedent render the category and concept toothless or even useless? |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T00:31:46Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8f818d2c391f4523983008be26606671 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1950-5701 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T00:31:46Z |
| publisher | Institut des Amériques |
| record_format | Article |
| series | IdeAs |
| spelling | doaj.art-8f818d2c391f4523983008be266066712024-02-15T13:54:46ZengInstitut des AmériquesIdeAs1950-57011410.4000/ideas.6472Populism as a Concept and the Challenge of U.S. HistoryCharles PostelThis paper explores the viability of populism as both a historical category and a political concept. Its starting point is the historical example of the first mass political expression that formed under the name of populism, and that was the U.S. People's Party of the 1890s. Although it carried the nickname of the Populist Party, this had virtually none of the meanings that were attached to the term populism at a later date. Historical populism in the U.S. was a farmer-labor movement that corresponded to labor and social-democratic movements across the late 19th -century capitalist world. This poses the challenge: is populism a capacious enough concept to include the U.S. historical precedent? Or does including the U.S. precedent render the category and concept toothless or even useless?https://journals.openedition.org/ideas/6472nationalismUnited Statespopulismsocial democracyxenophobia |
| spellingShingle | Charles Postel Populism as a Concept and the Challenge of U.S. History IdeAs nationalism United States populism social democracy xenophobia |
| title | Populism as a Concept and the Challenge of U.S. History |
| title_full | Populism as a Concept and the Challenge of U.S. History |
| title_fullStr | Populism as a Concept and the Challenge of U.S. History |
| title_full_unstemmed | Populism as a Concept and the Challenge of U.S. History |
| title_short | Populism as a Concept and the Challenge of U.S. History |
| title_sort | populism as a concept and the challenge of u s history |
| topic | nationalism United States populism social democracy xenophobia |
| url | https://journals.openedition.org/ideas/6472 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT charlespostel populismasaconceptandthechallengeofushistory |