Populism as a Political Ideology Essay

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Populism is a political ideology used by the leaders of political and social movements which call for political and social changes. Primarily, populism is used “to describe a specific political form or style instead of a specific ideology or to distinguish modern from traditional parties of the extreme right” (Mudde 13). Quite often, populism is regarded as a sign of ideological corruption because it is “equated with political irresponsibility, with shortened measures meant to appease the people without really helping them” (Bouton and Oldenburg 18). Populism occupies a significant place in the modern government public policy due to its promoting the country’s political development; the 21st century government faces the establishment of new populist parties with the current president Barack Obama inventing a new style of this ideology.

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With the beginning of the 21st century American government stepped onto a new stage of political development with populism being quite favoring for this. As stated by Postel, populism “provided an impetus for this modernizing process, with many of their [American people’s] demands co-opted and refashioned by progressive Democrats and Republicans” (271). This refashioning and co-optation served as a basis for social reforms which started taking place in the country. Before Barack Obama was elected as the president of the United States, American government used to have corporate vision with the Populist one being eclipsed by it. This, however, did not prevent populist parties from forming in America in the 2000s.

Currently, there are three major populist parties in the United States. They are the Populist Party of Maryland, the Populist Party of America, and the American Moderation Party with the latter being not fully Populist. The Populist Party of Maryland “originated as a vehicle for ballot access for Ralph Nader’s 2004 independent campaign for president” (Icon Group International 40) and its main goal is to put an end to a corporate crime wave and eradicate political corruption. The Populist Party of America was formed two years earlier in 2002. This party sees constitutional democracy as a means to cope with all the problems which the USA is facing at present. Finally, The American Moderation Party (formed in 2005) simply adopted some populist ideas having made fighting with neo-corporatism one of its goals.

Populism is tangibly felt in the modern government due to the current president promoting populist ideas. Obama’s creating new populist style during his election campaign has attracted the attention of the American people who have already lost their confidence in American governing institutions (Cohen para, 10). Obama’s vision of national unity has revived their trust in them and now “populism can broaden the Republican appeal because it cuts across all ideologies” (Sidoti para. 11). Since “most Americans view themselves simply as people who want a responsive government” (Sidoti para. 11), Obama’s populist ideas evoke people’s trust in the government, which is exactly what the country needs now. From this perspective, populism is beneficial for the US government.

In conclusion, populism is used by political leaders to call them for action and to convince them that they need social and political changes. This ideology was widely utilized by the politicians, though at the end of the twentieth century it was eclipsed by corporatism. The situation started changing in the 21st century and in 2008 populism was revived by Obama’s campaign calling for national unity of the US citizens.

Works Cited

Bouton, Marshal and Oldenburg, Philip. India Briefing: A Transformative Fifty Years. Delhi: Aakar Books, 2003.

Cohen, Michael A. “Obama’s New Populism.” The Wall Street Journal (2008). Web.

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Icon Group International. Populism: Webster’s Quotations, Facts and Phrases. San Diego: ICON Group International, Inc., 2008.

Mudde, Cas. The Ideology of the Extreme Right. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2000.

Poste, Charles. The Populist Vision. Oxford: Oxford University Press US, 2007.

Sidoti, Liz. “US Republicans embracing populist anger.” Kuwait Times. Web.

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IvyPanda. (2021) 'Populism as a Political Ideology'. 14 November.

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IvyPanda. 2021. "Populism as a Political Ideology." November 14, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/populism-as-a-political-ideology/.

1. IvyPanda. "Populism as a Political Ideology." November 14, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/populism-as-a-political-ideology/.


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IvyPanda. "Populism as a Political Ideology." November 14, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/populism-as-a-political-ideology/.

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