Right-Wing Populism in America - The Library of the Uncommons

Paperback, 499 pages

English language

Published Nov. 1, 2000 by The Guilford Press.

ISBN:: 978-1-57230-562-5

(1 review)

Overview: Right-wing militias and other antigovernment organizations have received heightened public attention since the Oklahoma City bombing. While such groups are often portrayed as marginal extremists, the values they espouse have influenced mainstream politics and culture far more than most Americans realize. This important volume offers an in-depth look at the historical roots and current landscape of right-wing populism in the United States. Illuminated is the potent combination of anti-elitist rhetoric, conspiracy theories, and ethnic scapegoating that has fueled many political movements from the colonial period to the present day. The book examines the Jacksonians, the Ku Klux Klan, and a host of Cold War nationalist cliques, and relates them to the evolution of contemporary electoral campaigns of Patrick Buchanan, the militancy of the Posse Comitatus and the Christian Identity movement, and an array of millennial sects. Combining vivid description and incisive analysis, Berlet and Lyons show how large numbers …

Overview: Right-wing militias and other antigovernment organizations have received heightened public attention since the Oklahoma City bombing. While such groups are often portrayed as marginal extremists, the values they espouse have influenced mainstream politics and culture far more than most Americans realize. This important volume offers an in-depth look at the historical roots and current landscape of right-wing populism in the United States. Illuminated is the potent combination of anti-elitist rhetoric, conspiracy theories, and ethnic scapegoating that has fueled many political movements from the colonial period to the present day. The book examines the Jacksonians, the Ku Klux Klan, and a host of Cold War nationalist cliques, and relates them to the evolution of contemporary electoral campaigns of Patrick Buchanan, the militancy of the Posse Comitatus and the Christian Identity movement, and an array of millennial sects. Combining vivid description and incisive analysis, Berlet and Lyons show how large numbers of disaffected Americans have embraced right-wing populism in a misguided attempt to challenge power relationships in U.S. society. Highlighted are the dangers these groups pose for the future of our political system and the hope of progressive social change.

3 editions

workingwriter reviewed Right-wing populism in America by Chip Berlet (Critical perspectives)

Review of 'Right-wing populism in America' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

So you're having trouble understanding how Donald Trump was elected president. Having similar issues understanding why he is so popular among his base. Perhaps you've read [b:Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis|27161156|Hillbilly Elegy A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis|J.D. Vance|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1463569814s/27161156.jpg|47200486] to learn more about the white working class and what's happened to them in recent decades. This book might be a worthwhile next stop.

[b:Right-Wing Populism in America: Too Close for Comfort|1051175|Right-Wing Populism in America Too Close for Comfort|Chip Berlet|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348376319s/1051175.jpg|1037635] looks at conservative attempts to win over the white working class throughout US history. The first half of the book covering the US through the post-World War II Red Scare, written by [a:Matthew Lyons|5750909|Matthew Lyons|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png], is a little dry.

The narrative picks up and becomes more useful to contemporary readers in the second half. [a:Chip Berlet|389300|Chip Berlet|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-82093808bca726cb3249a493fbd3bd0f.png] brings decades of study and …

So you're having trouble understanding how Donald Trump was elected president. Having similar issues understanding why he is so popular among his base. Perhaps you've read [b:Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis|27161156|Hillbilly Elegy A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis|J.D. Vance|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1463569814s/27161156.jpg|47200486] to learn more about the white working class and what's happened to them in recent decades. This book might be a worthwhile next stop.

[b:Right-Wing Populism in America: Too Close for Comfort|1051175|Right-Wing Populism in America Too Close for Comfort|Chip Berlet|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348376319s/1051175.jpg|1037635] looks at conservative attempts to win over the white working class throughout US history. The first half of the book covering the US through the post-World War II Red Scare, written by [a:Matthew Lyons|5750909|Matthew Lyons|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png], is a little dry.

The narrative picks up and becomes more useful to contemporary readers in the second half. [a:Chip Berlet|389300|Chip Berlet|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-82093808bca726cb3249a493fbd3bd0f.png] brings decades of study and action against the modern far right to his research outlined in this book. Berlet argues that "producerism" is the guiding ideology of the populist right. "Producerism posits a noble hard-working middle group constantly in conflict with lazy, malevolent, or sinful parasites at the top and bottom of the social order. The characters and details in this story have changed repeatedly, but its main outlines have remained the same for some 200 years." The echoes of this idea can readily be heard in the rhetoric of Trump, Steve Bannon and their supporters.

Yes, this book was written long before the Tea Party rose up, but its predecessors provide valuable context. Yet Berlet and Lyons are careful not to attack the followers of these movements. They recognize that the appeal of right-wing populism in the 20th century, from Huey Long through George Wallace to Newt Gingrich, has often come out of the failures of Democratic Party leaders to defend working-class living standards, and the limited choices the US political system offers.

Overall, this is a valuable resource.

Subjects

Conservatism & right-of-centre democratic ideologies
Political activism
Modern period, c 1500 onwards
Political Science
Political History
Politics / Current Events
Right-wing extremists
Politics/International Relations
USA
Government - U.S. Government
Political Ideologies - Democracy
Political Science / History & Theory
Political Process - Political Parties
Conservatism
Populism
United States