Populism is not a new phenomenon, but it has been on an upward trend during the past decade, with the most notable examples being Donald Trump, the UK Brexit campaign, and the recent wins in some European countries’ parliaments. Other examples that will be discussed in this paper are El Salvador’s President Salvador Nayib Bukele and Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban. When analyzing on a worldwide scale, we can attribute the rise of populism to several possible triggers, such as the increase of social media, globalization, the augmentation of inclusivity, and the refugee crisis. On a country-to-country scale, the causes may be more specific, but these are the main causes of the rise of populism since they occurred globally (Gust et al. 5-6). Donald Trump’s win in 2016 also significantly impacted the global rise of populism, as many ‘strong man’ leaders and populist allies felt emboldened by his presidency (Gust et al. 5-6). This paper will seek to provide clarity on why populism has increased dramatically in recent years and provide advice on how we can protect democratic institutions. I will begin by providing a definition of populism and analyzing research on the causes & effects of populism around the world. Examples of key populists from 3 different areas of the world will then be discussed. Finally, I will end this paper with a brief discussion about how we navigate this evolving world of politics and recommendations of things that we can do to safeguard our minds from populist rhetoric.
- Quote paper
- N. Hammons (Author), 2024, The Rise of Authoritarian Populism, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1585507
