populism

plural populisms

1. countableuncountablegovernmentA political doctrine or philosophy that proposes that the rights and powers of ordinary people are exploited by a privileged elite, and supports their struggle to overcome this.

   In the early 21st century, the tide of populism in Western countries has been primarily driven by demographic shifts, deindustrialization, inflation, a hostile cultural climate, and a collapse in social cohesion.

   2025 May 2, Endeavour, “Against Slopulism”, in Counter-Currents, archived from the original on 21 Jun 2025

2. countablederogatoryuncountableThe practice of appealing to the interests of the common people.

   It is not crass populism or majoritanianism that ratifies the legitimacy of the polity or the administration.

   2006, Prasanta Chakravarty, Like Parchment in the Fire, page 104