EDUCATION, PRESENTATION James Skidmore EDUCATION, PRESENTATION James Skidmore

Populism in Germany.

This lecture revisits Germany’s past in order to see if pre-1945 German culture provides any clues about the current political situation. And while one must recognize, to use political scientist Sheri Berman’s words, that “populism is not fascism,” we do well to understand the relationship between the two ideas and how the one can lay the groundwork for the other. We will also look at Germany’s history of leftist populism and how it has affected modern-day politics.

Read More
EDUCATION, PRESENTATION James Skidmore EDUCATION, PRESENTATION James Skidmore

What is Populism Anyway?

This lecture identifies and discusses some of the key features of populism: the “us versus them” mentality; populism’s conflict with elitism; how mass dissatisfaction can give rise to mass political movements; the differences between left-wing and right-wing populism; the role of leadership in populism; and the difficulties scholars have defining populism (and the reasons for that).

Read More