Populism in Europe (a historical fact) 2
Italy
Italy's former Deputy Prime Minister and League's leader, Matteo Salvini, is considered one of the most prominent right-wing populist politicians in Europe.
When Silvio Berlusconi entered politics in 1994 with his new party Forza Italia, he created a new kind of populism focused on media control. Berlusconi and his allies won three elections, in 1994, 2001 and, with his new right-wing People of Freedom party, in 2008; he was Prime Minister of Italy for almost ten years. Throughout its existence, Berlusconi's party was characterised by a strong reliance on the personal image and charisma of its leader—it has therefore been called a "personality party" or Berlusconi's "personal party"—and the skillful use of media campaigns, especially via television. The party's organisation and ideology depended heavily on its leader. Its appeal to voters was based on Berlusconi's personality more than on its ideology or programme.
Italy's most prominent right-wing populist party is Lega Nord (LN). The League started as a federalist, regionalist and sometimes secessionist party, founded in 1991 as a federation of several regional parties of Northern and Central Italy, most of which had arisen and expanded during the 1980s. LN's program advocates the transformation of Italy into a federal state, fiscal federalism and greater regional autonomy, especially for the Northern regions. At times, the party has advocated for the secession of the North, which it calls Padania.
Certain LN members have been known to publicly deploy the offensive slur "terrone", a common pejorative term for Southern Italians that is evocative of negative Southern Italian stereotypes. With the rise of immigration into Italy since the late 1990s, LN has increasingly turned its attention to criticizing mass immigration to Italy. The LN, which also opposes illegal immigration, is critical of Islam and proposes Italy's exit from the eurozone. Since 2013, under the leadership of Matteo Salvini, the party has to some extent embraced Italian nationalism and emphasised Euroscepticism, opposition to immigration and other "populist" policies, while forming an alliance with right-wing populist parties in Europe.
In 2009, former comedian, blogger and activist Beppe Grillo founded the Five Star Movement. It advocates direct democracy and free access to the Internet, and condemns corruption. The M5S's programme also contains elements of both left-wing and right-wing populism and American-style libertarianism. The party is considered populist, ecologist, and partially Eurosceptic. Grillo himself described the Five Star Movement as being populist in nature during a political meeting he held in Rome on 30 October 2013. In the 2013 Italian election the Five Star Movement gained 25.5% of the vote, with 109 deputies and 54 senators, becoming the main populist and Eurosceptic party in the European Union.
The 2018 Italian general election was characterized by a strong showing by populist movements like Salvini's League and Luigi Di Maio’s Five Stars. In June, the two populist parties formed a government led by Giuseppe Conte.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) was characterised as a right-wing populist party. The party achieved success leading up to the Brexit referendum under the direction of Nigel Farage. The party capitalised on the increasing immigration concerns in the UK following the EU enlargement of 2004. The Brexit referendum, in which British citizens voted to leave the European Union, was claimed as a victory for populism, encouraging a flurry of calls for referendums among other EU countries by populist political parties.
UKIP was succeeded by the Brexit Party in the lead up to the 2019 European Parliament elections in the United Kingdom. The Brexit Party was then followed by Reform UK, which continued to follow populist sentiments in its campaigning, particularly during the 2024 United Kingdom general election where the party found increased success at the expense of the establishment Conservative Party.
The UK Labour Party under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn had been referred to as populist, with the slogan "for the many not the few" having been used.
Jeremy Corbyn identifies himself as part of the socialist left of the Labour Party and was elected as leader in 2015. During his time as Labour leader, he contested two general elections in 2017 and 2019 under manifestos that would have represented a political shift in the United Kingdom. These manifestos proposed issues related to foreign policy and economic policy, such as nationalization of parts of the private sector that would have changed certain private programs into public ownership such as rail, water, and energy. The Labour Party under Corbyn spoke about a lack of trust in the UK establishment and how this transformation was needed. Anti-elitist rhetoric has come up among other UK political leaders. Nigel Farage has often criticized establishment political parties, a theme that is the platform of his Reform UK party.
Other conservative Prime Ministers have used anti-elite language in describing people who opposed them. During the Brexit referendum in parliament, Boris Johnson employed anti-parliamentary rhetoric, portraying members of parliament as enemies of the people for not getting the vote done. This type of narrative forms an approach known as the Manichean worldview, an understanding that politics is a struggle between the people vs the elite.
Italy's former Deputy Prime Minister and League's leader, Matteo Salvini, is considered one of the most prominent right-wing populist politicians in Europe.
When Silvio Berlusconi entered politics in 1994 with his new party Forza Italia, he created a new kind of populism focused on media control. Berlusconi and his allies won three elections, in 1994, 2001 and, with his new right-wing People of Freedom party, in 2008; he was Prime Minister of Italy for almost ten years. Throughout its existence, Berlusconi's party was characterised by a strong reliance on the personal image and charisma of its leader—it has therefore been called a "personality party" or Berlusconi's "personal party"—and the skillful use of media campaigns, especially via television. The party's organisation and ideology depended heavily on its leader. Its appeal to voters was based on Berlusconi's personality more than on its ideology or programme.
Italy's most prominent right-wing populist party is Lega Nord (LN). The League started as a federalist, regionalist and sometimes secessionist party, founded in 1991 as a federation of several regional parties of Northern and Central Italy, most of which had arisen and expanded during the 1980s. LN's program advocates the transformation of Italy into a federal state, fiscal federalism and greater regional autonomy, especially for the Northern regions. At times, the party has advocated for the secession of the North, which it calls Padania.
Certain LN members have been known to publicly deploy the offensive slur "terrone", a common pejorative term for Southern Italians that is evocative of negative Southern Italian stereotypes. With the rise of immigration into Italy since the late 1990s, LN has increasingly turned its attention to criticizing mass immigration to Italy. The LN, which also opposes illegal immigration, is critical of Islam and proposes Italy's exit from the eurozone. Since 2013, under the leadership of Matteo Salvini, the party has to some extent embraced Italian nationalism and emphasised Euroscepticism, opposition to immigration and other "populist" policies, while forming an alliance with right-wing populist parties in Europe.
In 2009, former comedian, blogger and activist Beppe Grillo founded the Five Star Movement. It advocates direct democracy and free access to the Internet, and condemns corruption. The M5S's programme also contains elements of both left-wing and right-wing populism and American-style libertarianism. The party is considered populist, ecologist, and partially Eurosceptic. Grillo himself described the Five Star Movement as being populist in nature during a political meeting he held in Rome on 30 October 2013. In the 2013 Italian election the Five Star Movement gained 25.5% of the vote, with 109 deputies and 54 senators, becoming the main populist and Eurosceptic party in the European Union.
The 2018 Italian general election was characterized by a strong showing by populist movements like Salvini's League and Luigi Di Maio’s Five Stars. In June, the two populist parties formed a government led by Giuseppe Conte.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) was characterised as a right-wing populist party. The party achieved success leading up to the Brexit referendum under the direction of Nigel Farage. The party capitalised on the increasing immigration concerns in the UK following the EU enlargement of 2004. The Brexit referendum, in which British citizens voted to leave the European Union, was claimed as a victory for populism, encouraging a flurry of calls for referendums among other EU countries by populist political parties.
UKIP was succeeded by the Brexit Party in the lead up to the 2019 European Parliament elections in the United Kingdom. The Brexit Party was then followed by Reform UK, which continued to follow populist sentiments in its campaigning, particularly during the 2024 United Kingdom general election where the party found increased success at the expense of the establishment Conservative Party.
The UK Labour Party under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn had been referred to as populist, with the slogan "for the many not the few" having been used.
Jeremy Corbyn identifies himself as part of the socialist left of the Labour Party and was elected as leader in 2015. During his time as Labour leader, he contested two general elections in 2017 and 2019 under manifestos that would have represented a political shift in the United Kingdom. These manifestos proposed issues related to foreign policy and economic policy, such as nationalization of parts of the private sector that would have changed certain private programs into public ownership such as rail, water, and energy. The Labour Party under Corbyn spoke about a lack of trust in the UK establishment and how this transformation was needed. Anti-elitist rhetoric has come up among other UK political leaders. Nigel Farage has often criticized establishment political parties, a theme that is the platform of his Reform UK party.
Other conservative Prime Ministers have used anti-elite language in describing people who opposed them. During the Brexit referendum in parliament, Boris Johnson employed anti-parliamentary rhetoric, portraying members of parliament as enemies of the people for not getting the vote done. This type of narrative forms an approach known as the Manichean worldview, an understanding that politics is a struggle between the people vs the elite.
26-30, F