Populism Italian Style

Abstract

Analyses of the neopopulist wave that swept through a growing number of European countries from the mid-1980s onwards often emphasise its novelty and link it to some of the great social transformations that have, throughout history, brought the relationship of trust between citizens, political parties and representative institutions into a state of crisis. Among causes mentioned are shifts in the traditional cleavages outlined by Lipset and Rokkan (1967), the crumbling away of large-scale heavy industries and the consequent weakening of class ties, the opening up of borders and loss of relevance for nation-states, the growth of new forms of production linked to territory, to families or even single individuals, the financialisation of the economy, and globalisation, which favours competition without frontiers, and massive shifts in population from poorer to richer countries. It is frequently stressed that all these processes taken together have created a new, accelerated phase of modernisation which, by overthrowing consolidated social hierarchies, political loyalties and cultural traditions, have opened up a gap between ‘winners’ and ‘losers’ in the globalised society (Kriesi 1999). Among the ‘losers’ this process has sown the seeds of a psychological condition marked by resentment, delusion and disenchantment on which populist parties can capitalise (Betz 1994), by stirring up and directing protest against the political classes who are held responsible for the situation.