Populist Movement

The Populist Movement, also known as the People's Party was a movement in late-19th century America. It grew out of groups such as the Grange Movement. It was largely a movement of farmers, who were poor and felt big businesses, such as railroads, were to blame. Its leaders included Thomas Watson and William Jennings Bryan. The populists had a series of demands known as the Omaha Platform. Here are some of the things the Omaha Platform wanted:

• An income tax
• Direct election of United States Senators
• Free coinage of silver (at a rate of 16 ozs. of silver to one ounce of gold) to encourage inflation
• Government ownership of railroads and other large businesses

Though the Populists never and only controlled a few state governments for a few years, many of the demands of the Omaha Platform, such as the income tax and direct election of Senators, were later done as part of the Progressive Movement

Populist Movement Media

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  The Argentine political theorist Ernesto Laclau developed a distinctive definition of populism, viewing it as a potentially positive force for emancipatory social change.

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  Ilya Repin's painting, Arrest of a Propagandist (1892), which depicts the arrest of a narodnik

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  Jean-Marie Le Pen, founder and leader of the French National Front, the "prototypical radical right party" which used populism to advance its cause

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  Javier Milei, Argentina President, is a well known libertarian populist.

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  Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines and Narendra Modi of India, 2018. They are both considered populist leaders of the left and right, respectively.