Populism in Europe: an illiberal democratic response to undemocratic liberalism

Authors

  • Cas Mudde Universidad de Georgia
DOI: https://doi.org/10.6018/reg.576051
Keywords: Populism, Political Parties, Liberal Democracy, Europe

Abstract

In this lecture, I lay out my approach to populism, which falls within the now dominant ‘ideational approach’ of populism, discuss the complex relationship between populism and politics, and identify some of the main causes of the ongoing ‘populist Zeitgeist’. My main arguments are, first, while populism is related to (real and perceived) ‘crises’, these so-called ‘crises’ are often catalysts rather than prime causes of the rise of populism; second, populism is essentially an illiberal democratic response to undemocratic liberalism; and third, populism can only be overcome by more rather than less liberal democracy. I illustrate my arguments on the basis of the recent rise of populism in Europe, but believe they also largely hold true beyond that specific regional and temporal context.

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Author Biography

Cas Mudde, Universidad de Georgia

Departamento de Estudios Internacionales

Universidad de Georgia, Athens, Georgia. Estados Unidos

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Published
05-07-2023
How to Cite
Mudde, C. (2023). Populism in Europe: an illiberal democratic response to undemocratic liberalism. Revista de Estudios Globales. Análisis Histórico y Cambio Social, 2(4). https://doi.org/10.6018/reg.576051