Why Populism?
Political Strategy from Ancient Greece to the Present

Populism is a strategy - a low-cost route to power that can have detrimental consequences for democracy.

Paul Kenny (Author)

9781009275293, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 6 April 2023

250 pages
23.5 x 15.8 x 2 cm, 0.54 kg

'This compelling book argues that populism is a particularly efficient political strategy, directly mobilizing popular support without heavy investments in organization or ideology. Drawing on historical analyses ranging from ancient Athens and Rome to revolutionary France to modern America, this is a rich and fascinating argument.' Anna Grzymala-Busse, Stanford University

The rise to power of populists like Donald Trump is usually attributed to the shifting values and policy preferences of voters-the demand side. Why Populism shifts the public debate on populism and examines the other half of the equation-the supply side. Kenny argues that to understand the rise of populism is to understand the cost of different strategies for winning and keeping power. For the aspiring leader, populism-appealing directly to the people through mass communication-can be a quicker, cheaper, and more effective strategy than working through a political party. Probing the long history of populism in the West from its Ancient Greek roots to the present, this highly readable book shows that the 'economic laws of populism are constant.' 'Forget ideology. Forget resentment. Forget racism or sexism.' Populism, the author writes, is the result of a hidden strategic calculus.

1. The Price of Power
2. Populists before Parties
3. After the Revolution
4. Democracy's Children
5. Crisis and Charisma
6. Survival of the Fittest
7. Parties, Factions, and Populism
8. Populism and Democracy.

Subject Areas: Economic history [KCZ], Political economy [KCP]