People Without Power: the war on populism and the fight for democracy
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- Create Date：2021-05-06 11:57:16
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Thomas Frank
- ISBN：1912854228
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Summary
An eye-opening account of populism， the most important — and misunderstood — movement of our time。
Everything we think we know about populism is wrong。
Today， populism is seen as a frightening thing， a term pundits use to describe the racist philosophy of Donald Trump and European extremists。 But this is a mistake。
The real story of populism is an account of enlightenment and liberation; it is the story of democracy itself， of its ever-widening promise of a decent life for all。 Taking us from the tumultuous 1890s， when the radical left-wing US Populist Party fought plutocrats， to the triumphs of reformers under Roosevelt and Truman， Frank reminds us how much we owe to the populist ethos。
Frank also shows that elitist groups have reliably detested populism， lashing out at working-class concerns; today’s moral panic in liberal circles is only the latest expression。 Frank pummels the elites， revisits the movement’s provocative politics， and declares true populism to be the language of promise and optimism。 People Without Power is a ringing affirmation of a movement that， Frank shows us， is not the problem of our times， but the solution。
Everything we think we know about populism is wrong。
Today， populism is seen as a frightening thing， a term pundits use to describe the racist philosophy of Donald Trump and European extremists。 But this is a mistake。
The real story of populism is an account of enlightenment and liberation; it is the story of democracy itself， of its ever-widening promise of a decent life for all。 Taking us from the tumultuous 1890s， when the radical left-wing US Populist Party fought plutocrats， to the triumphs of reformers under Roosevelt and Truman， Frank reminds us how much we owe to the populist ethos。
Frank also shows that elitist groups have reliably detested populism， lashing out at working-class concerns; today’s moral panic in liberal circles is only the latest expression。 Frank pummels the elites， revisits the movement’s provocative politics， and declares true populism to be the language of promise and optimism。 People Without Power is a ringing affirmation of a movement that， Frank shows us， is not the problem of our times， but the solution。
Reviews
Tony Tone
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This is the best current affairs/politics book I have read this year。 If you want to understand the origins and true meaning of popularism， as opposed to the buffoonish demagogy of Trump et all， read this book。
Xavier Alexandre
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I have learned lots from this book。 First of all， that populism does have noble origins， in Kansas， 1891， when We the People was still a noble concept。 when the average citizen was， on average， a plus to his country。Populism has been kidnapped。 Kidnapped by those who have recognised the usefulness of its recipes， and used it to promote the new nativist movements we see the world over， centred on dishing out identity dreams。 The Trump， Bolsonaro， Orban， Duterte of this planet。Fighting these movem I have learned lots from this book。 First of all， that populism does have noble origins， in Kansas， 1891， when We the People was still a noble concept。 when the average citizen was， on average， a plus to his country。Populism has been kidnapped。 Kidnapped by those who have recognised the usefulness of its recipes， and used it to promote the new nativist movements we see the world over， centred on dishing out identity dreams。 The Trump， Bolsonaro， Orban， Duterte of this planet。Fighting these movements can't be done by accusing populism， and those who embrace them deplorable。 Indeed， populism can also be the cure to the above， by returning to its erstwhile values。Fascinating book。 。。。more
Lawrence Grandpre
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Good analysis of the history of anti-populism。 The book's historical analysis seems a bit sharper than the contemporary analysis， probably because the author has covered this material in other books。 The degree to which the liberal anti-populist backlash occurred in the 50s is very important and needs to be studied more， specifically within the context of the Korean War， Nuclear threats， Sputnik， and the larger notions of "better living through science" and how that reflects a larger cultural ob Good analysis of the history of anti-populism。 The book's historical analysis seems a bit sharper than the contemporary analysis， probably because the author has covered this material in other books。 The degree to which the liberal anti-populist backlash occurred in the 50s is very important and needs to be studied more， specifically within the context of the Korean War， Nuclear threats， Sputnik， and the larger notions of "better living through science" and how that reflects a larger cultural obsession with scientism and the related notions of cultural and race which go along with that。 The authors linking this with McCarthyism is interesting but I feel incomplete。 Similarly， the author's attempt to link the civil rights movement with populism is important but could be better served by going more in-depth about the diversity of the movement and how other impulses central to the movement， include the armed self-defense tradition， Pan Africanism， and Black nationalist traditions， could be part of large populist pluralism， instead of trying to shoehorn cherry-picked quotes from civil rights leaders to essentially make an argument about the two movements being fundamentally aligned。 Overall a very good book。 。。。more
Sue
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A timely and important book that distinguishes American populism from demagoguery and contemporary Trumpism。 As a non-American reader， I also found it an enlightening journey through American political history。
David
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An important book。 Distinguishes the term Populism from demagoguery and trumpism。 Worth reading alone for the damning final chapter "Let us now scold uncouth men" about the Clinton campaign， the learning class and Lena Dunham。 An important book。 Distinguishes the term Populism from demagoguery and trumpism。 Worth reading alone for the damning final chapter "Let us now scold uncouth men" about the Clinton campaign， the learning class and Lena Dunham。 。。。more
Scribe Publications
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