Synopsis
An economic history arguing that populist surges across modern history follow economic insecurity that elites fail to address through reform.
Core passage idea
Paraphrase · Modern copyrighted workPopulism rises when ordinary people feel economically abandoned and existing parties refuse the reforms that might ease their grievances.
It locates populism's fuel in real material distress, suggesting it can be defused by responsive policy rather than mere condemnation.
To avoid a bubble
Pair with Karl Polanyi, The Great Transformation.
Reading note
Read Eichengreen for the long historical sweep, weighing his economic explanation against cultural accounts of populist backlash.
Best paired with
Karl Polanyi, The Great Transformation