Populism

[michael perelman]

One dimension of populism that I did not notice in the thread was the class
basis.  Populists tended to fall midway between labor and capital, as was the
case for small farmers.  As a result, their allegiance could go either way.

Marx discussed this in his analysis of Bonapartism.  French friends tell me of
pairs of nearby villages that seem identical in terms of the people and the
economy, yet one would support the left and the other, the right.

This phenomenon partially explains how the populists could shift from one line of
analysis to another so easily, eventually being lured to oblivion by following
the solutions of money cranks.

--
Michael Perelman
Economics Department
California State University
Chico, CA 95929

Tel. 530-898-5321
E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu