The Impact of Populism and If It Is a Potential Threat

Abstract

In my paper, I investigate the connection between populism and American democracy while also researching if it poses a threat. My three research themes, which are included in my Literature Review, include the history of populism, populism and democracy, and if populism can be threatening. I discovered that rhetoric is a vital component of populism, I then conducted my own study of three primary sources, which are speeches, of George Wallace Inaugural Speech of 1963, a Donald Trump Speech on Immigration (2016), and a Bernie Sanders speech (2015). I analyzed and dissected these speeches and essentially analyzed the rhetoric, I looked for words and phrases used, exclamations of certain words, the tone, and the type of audience the speech was given for. As I present in my research, these kinds of rhetorical speeches given by populists, also the content within the speeches, can lead to violence and backlash. The main focus of my research/study was to add to the conversation around American democracy and the complex history of populism and how it is still percolating in society today.