History glossary
populist
politics that claims to speak for ordinary people against established elites.
- Category
- Political style
- Region
- Global
- Date range
- Varies
What it means
Populist politics presents itself as the voice of ordinary people against entrenched elites. Boris Yeltsin used populist appeal against Communist Party authority and Gorbachev's central Soviet institutions.
Stories using this term
The Rise of Adolf Hitler
From the ashes of World War I to the Night of the Long Knives, this story traces the political rise of Adolf Hitler and the collapse of the Weimar Republic.
The Collapse of the Soviet Union
From Gorbachev’s reforms to the lowering of the Soviet flag over the Kremlin, this story traces the rapid unravelling of the USSR and the end of the Cold War.
The World After The Cold War
From the fall of the Soviet Union to the rise of China and global terrorism, this story traces the turbulent reshaping of the international order after 1991.
The United States After 9/11
After 9/11, the United States launched the War on Terror, invaded Afghanistan and Iraq, expanded surveillance and homeland security, and entered a long era of costly war and deep political division.
