Riassunto analitico
Il seguente elaborato, articolato in tre capitoli, si propone di analizzare l'origine e l'evoluzione del complesso e ambiguo fenomeno populista.
Il primo capitolo si concentra sul fenomeno, così come è emerso nella Russia zarista e negli Stati Uniti nel corso della seconda metà del XIX secolo. All'interno del capito, è riservato ampio spazio al concetto di popolo, sul quale il populismo si fonda. Inoltre, viene analizzato lo stato della letteratura sul fenomeno populista, con uno sguardo sulle diverse teorie formulate in merito.
Il secondo capitolo verte, invece, sull'analisi del populismo emerso in America Latina intorno alla metà del XX secolo, con particolare attenzione nei confronti del governo argentino di Juan Domingo Perón.
Il capitolo prosegue con la definizione del concetto di leadership, elemento chiave di ogni populismo.
Infine, il terzo e ultimo capitolo è dedicato alla nascita e all'affermazione del populismo in Italia, con la discesa in campo dell'imprenditore televisivo Silvio Berlusconi. Si delineano quindi gli elementi cruciali del telepopulismo, di cui il leader del partito personale Forza Italia è il primo e massimo promotore.
Infine, la tesi si chiude con uno sguardo sui paradossi principali legati al fenomeno populista, cercando di mettere insieme le questioni insolute che hanno accomunato e continuano ad accomunare tutti i populismi che si sono succeduti nel corso della storia.
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Abstract
POPULISM: GENESIS AND EVOLUTION OF A COMPLEX PHENOMENON BETWEEN CHARISMATIC LEADERSHIP AND UNRESOLVED PARADOXES
The theme of this graduation thesis is the analysis of Populism, a political phenomenon that emerged in the nineteenth century in Russia and in the USA.
The aim of this paper is to analyze the birth and development of populist movements.
This work is divided into three chapters: the first chapter tries to find a general definition of the term populism, but it's impossible because populism is a phenomenon that changes according to the social and political context.
Despite this, it is possible to identify some elements common with all populisms, for example their close relationship with constitutional democracy, their hostility towards the establishment, their desire to represent the people and the importance of the figure of the leader.
The chapter continues with the analysis the two populisms of the origins: Russian populism (the so-called narodničestvo) and American populism (with the birth of People’s Party).
The second chapter is linked to the situation in Latin America that is considered the cradle of Populism.
The analysis focuses on the birth and evolution of Populism in Argentina, with the central figure of Juan Domingo Perón.
Perón was three times President of Argentina in the second half of the 20th century, and he also represented a great example of a populist leader.
His leadership was characterized by a direct relationship with his people and a direct control of the mass media, especially the radio.
After that, the analysis emphasizes the figure of the leader. Leadership is one of the most important elements of Populism, because it reflects the figure in which people identify themselves.
The third and last chapter relies on the birth and development of populism in the Italian political context.
In 1994, the successful businessman Silvio Berlusconi decided to participate in political elections with his new political movement Forza Italia.
Berlusconi was the creator of a new type of populism: the so-called Telepopulism.
Telepopulism led to the birth of Audience Democracy, in which the leader is exposed to the media and citizens become audiences.
The second part of the chapter is characterized by a parallelism between Juan Domingo Perón and Silvio Berlusconi.
The aspect that unites the two leaders is the massive use of the media to create consensus.
Therefore mass media are used as instruments of political propaganda. Populist leaders use them to assert their own authority and leadership.
The last part of the chapter focuses on the paradoxes of Populism, such as its conflictual relationship with Democracy, its opposition to the procedures, the concept of representation as incorporation, the identification of the leader with the people and the breaking of the distinction between front stages and back stages.
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