National populism

In this in-depth study, the authors discuss what lies behind the rise of national populism in the West, who supports these movements (and why), and how they will change the face of politics in the coming years.

Across the West, there is a rising tide of people who feel excluded, alienated from mainstream politics, and increasingly hostile to minorities, immigrants, and the neoliberal economy. Many of these voters are turning to national-populist movements, which represent the most serious threat to the Western liberal democratic system and its values since World War II. From the United States to France, from Austria to the United Kingdom, the national-populist challenge to mainstream politics is all around us.

National populists prioritize the nation's culture and interests and promise to give a voice to those who feel neglected and disregarded by distant and corrupt elites. It's an ideology rooted in long-standing and deep currents, gaining momentum for decades, changing the political landscape.

Some say this is a final, angry outburst from a vanishing electorate. Its leaders are fascist, and its policies are antidemocratic; its existence is a sideshow to liberal democracy. But this version of events, as Roger Eatwell and Matthew Goodwin show, couldn't be further from the truth.

Written by two leading experts on fascism and the rise of the populist right, National Populism is a lucid guide, the result of in-depth research into the radical transformations of today's political landscape, which reveals why liberal democracies across the West are being challenged. What is behind this exclusionary wave? Who supports these movements and why? What does their rise tell us about the health of liberal democratic politics? What can be done to stem this tide?

The Brazilian edition features an exclusive article about the election and the first months of Jair Bolsonaro's government in Brazil, analyzing how he can be identified with this global trend.