The Revival Of Populism In American Politics In The Early 21^st Century

There is no widely accepted authority definition for populism.Different countries and regions have various causes,forms and specific demands for populism.But in general,populism emphasizes the opposition between "people"' and "elite",highlights the importance of "people" and mobilizes the masses to participate in politics in the form of expression.In the United States,populist waves come and go regularly.The earliest one can be traced back to a populist movement at the end of 19th century.In the 20th century,there appeared successive populist movements in the United States that were voiced strongly in American politics including the Huey Long and his "Share Our Wealth" in the 1930s,George Wallace's populist presidential campaign in 1968 and Ross Perot's campaign in the 1992 general election as an independent candidate.Through these movements,the characteristics and connotation of populism were fully embodied.When it came to the 21st century,due to the special social background after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the 2008 financial crisis,people's living standards declined and the gap between the rich and the poor widened.The terrorist attacks and the following anti-terrorist wars brought serious social unrest to the American society.As a result,people accumulated strong dissatisfaction with the government,which caused two waves of populism in the early 21st century----the right-wing populism which was represented by the Tea Party movement and the left-wing populism which was embodied in the Occupy Wall Street movement.The populist tide finally came to its peak in the 2016 general election.American populism develops in a cycle,with a certain law of rising and falling every thirty years;populism will come back once again.It is often closely connected with politics and usually serves for politics.The resurgence of populism in the United States reflects a profound social and political crisis under special historical conditions.The populist wave of the early 21st century was a response to many of the current political,economic and social crises in the United States.It will undoubtedly have an important and far-reaching impact on the future of American politics.The most obvious manifestation of populism is usually when the American society is in a particular transition period of time,like the general election,or there are serious social chaoses.It will certainly bring about changes and impact to American politics and national development.A case in point is the 2016 American general election.The victory of Donald Trump in the campaign will become a turning point in American politics or may even reshape the American politics.