The rise of modern populism - Takis S. Pappas
-
0:07 - 0:11In the mid-1970s, after decades
of political turmoil, -
0:11 - 0:15Greece finally seemed
to be on the path to stability. -
0:15 - 0:17With the introduction
of a new constitution -
0:17 - 0:21and negotiations underway
to enter European institutions, -
0:21 - 0:24many analysts expected Greek politics
-
0:24 - 0:27to follow the pattern
of the larger Western world. -
0:27 - 0:32Then in 1981, a political party
called PASOK came to power. -
0:32 - 0:38Its charismatic leader Andreas Papandreou
railed against the new constitution, -
0:38 - 0:42and accused those in power
of “national betrayal.” -
0:42 - 0:47Opposing Greece’s membership in NATO
and the European Economic Community, -
0:47 - 0:51Papandreou promised to govern
for the betterment of the “common people" -
0:51 - 0:53above all else.
-
0:53 - 0:59He famously declared, “there are
no institutions, only the people exist.” -
0:59 - 1:02Papandreou’s rise to power
isn’t a unique story. -
1:02 - 1:05In many democratic countries
around the world, -
1:05 - 1:08charismatic leaders vilify
political opponents, -
1:08 - 1:13disparage institutions,
and claim the mantle of the people. -
1:13 - 1:17Some critics label this approach
as authoritarian or fascist, -
1:17 - 1:20and many argue that these leaders
are using emotions -
1:20 - 1:23to manipulate and deceive voters.
-
1:23 - 1:28But whether or not this style of politics
is ethical, it's certainly democratic, -
1:28 - 1:32and it goes by the name of populism.
-
1:32 - 1:35The term populism has been around
since Ancient Rome, -
1:35 - 1:40and has its roots in the Latin word
“populus” meaning “the people." -
1:40 - 1:45But since then populism has been used
to describe dozens of political movements, -
1:45 - 1:49often with counterintuitive and sometimes
contradictory goals. -
1:49 - 1:53Populist movements have rebelled
against monarchies, monopolies, -
1:53 - 1:56and a wide variety
of powerful institutions. -
1:56 - 2:00It’s not possible to cover
the full history of this term here. -
2:00 - 2:04Instead, we’re focusing
on one specific type of populism— -
2:04 - 2:06the kind that describes
Papandreou’s administration -
2:06 - 2:12and numerous other governments
over the last 70 years: modern populism. -
2:12 - 2:17But to understand how political theorists
define this phenomenon -
2:17 - 2:21we first need to explore
what it’s responding to. -
2:21 - 2:22In the aftermath of World War Two,
-
2:22 - 2:27many countries wanted to move away
from totalitarian ideologies. -
2:27 - 2:29They sought a new political system
-
2:29 - 2:32that prioritized individual
and social rights, -
2:32 - 2:36aimed at political consensus,
and respected the rule of law. -
2:36 - 2:41As a result, most Western nations adopted
a longstanding form of government -
2:41 - 2:43called liberal democracy.
-
2:43 - 2:47In this context, “liberal”
doesn’t refer to any political party, -
2:47 - 2:51but rather a type of democracy
that has three essential components. -
2:51 - 2:55First, liberal democracies accept
that society -
2:55 - 2:59is full of many, often crosscutting
divisions that generate conflict. -
2:59 - 3:02Second, it requires that society’s
many factions -
3:02 - 3:06seek common ground
across those divisions. -
3:06 - 3:09Finally, liberal democracies rely
on the rule of law -
3:09 - 3:12and the protection of minority rights,
-
3:12 - 3:15as specified in constitutions
and legal statutes. -
3:15 - 3:18Taken together, these ideals propose
-
3:18 - 3:22that tolerance and institutions
that protect us from intolerance, -
3:22 - 3:27are the bedrock of a functional
and diverse democratic society. -
3:27 - 3:31Liberal democracies helped bring stability
to the nations that adopted them. -
3:31 - 3:35But like any system of government,
they didn’t solve everything. -
3:35 - 3:39Among other issues,
an ever-increasing wealth gap -
3:39 - 3:41led to underserved communities
-
3:41 - 3:46who distrusted both their wealthy
neighbors and their political leaders. -
3:46 - 3:51In some cases, political corruption
further damaged the public's trust. -
3:51 - 3:55Growing suspicion and resentment
around these politicians -
3:55 - 3:58primed citizens to look
for a new kind of leader -
3:58 - 4:00who would challenge
established institutions -
4:00 - 4:03and put the needs of the people first.
-
4:03 - 4:07In many ways, this reaction
highlights democracy in action: -
4:07 - 4:12if the majority of a population feels
their interests are underrepresented, -
4:12 - 4:17they can elect leaders to change
that using existing democratic systems. -
4:17 - 4:23But this is where assertive, modern
populist candidates can subvert democracy. -
4:23 - 4:29Modern populists identify themselves
as embodying the "will of the people," -
4:29 - 4:30and they place those interests
-
4:30 - 4:35above the institutions
that protect individual and social rights. -
4:35 - 4:38Modern populists argue
these institutions -
4:38 - 4:42are run by a self-serving ruling minority,
-
4:42 - 4:46who seek to control the vast majority
of virtuous common people. -
4:46 - 4:51As a result, politics is no longer about
seeking compromise and consensus -
4:51 - 4:54through tolerant democratic institutions.
-
4:54 - 5:00Instead, these leaders seek to overturn
what they see as a broken system. -
5:00 - 5:04This means that where a liberal democracy
has the utmost respect for institutions -
5:04 - 5:08like courtrooms, free press,
and national constitutions, -
5:08 - 5:13modern populists disparage
any establishment that disagrees -
5:13 - 5:16with the so-called “common will."
-
5:16 - 5:19Modern populist parties
have arisen in many places, -
5:19 - 5:22but the leaders of these movements
are remarkably similar. -
5:22 - 5:25They’re often charismatic individuals
-
5:25 - 5:29who identify themselves as embodying
the “will of the people." -
5:29 - 5:32They make exorbitant promises
to their supporters, -
5:32 - 5:37while casting their opponents as traitors
actively undermining the country. -
5:37 - 5:42But whether these politicians are sincere
believers or manipulative opportunists, -
5:42 - 5:43the dynamics they unleash
-
5:43 - 5:47can be profoundly destabilizing
for liberal democracy. -
5:47 - 5:50Even when modern populist leaders
don’t follow through -
5:50 - 5:53with their most extreme promises,
-
5:53 - 5:58their impact on political discourse,
the rule of law, and public trust -
5:58 - 6:01can long outlast their time in office.
- Title:
- The rise of modern populism - Takis S. Pappas
- Speaker:
- Takis S. Pappas
- Description:
-
View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-rise-of-modern-populism-takis-s-pappas
In many democratic countries, charismatic leaders vilify political opponents, disparage institutions, and claim to be for the people. Some critics label this approach as authoritarian or fascist, while others argue that these leaders are manipulating voters. This style of politics goes by the name of populism. Takis S. Pappas explores the phenomenon and the lasting impact it can have on a country.
Lesson by Takis S. Pappas, directed by Patrick Smith.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
closed TED
- Project:
- TED-Ed
- Duration:
- 06:02
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lauren mcalpine accepted English subtitles for The rise of modern populism | |
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lauren mcalpine edited English subtitles for The rise of modern populism | |
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Tara Ahmadinejad edited English subtitles for The rise of modern populism | |
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Tara Ahmadinejad edited English subtitles for The rise of modern populism |