ABSTRACT
This chapter makes a substantial contribution to the study of the adoption of populist discourses in new party mobilization. Our theoretical framework explores ideational change applying process tracing to case study research of the populist-framed Podemos. Our puzzle examines the factors that led political activists to articulate a populist political discourse in a country in which such a style had been previously absent. Building on the ideational approach to populism, we show how populist discourse was initially one among several conceptual frameworks behind the creation of Podemos. In Spain, a political opportunity structure was opened by the debt crisis and the austerity policies under the Socialist government. The cycle of social mobilization under the banner of the 15M movement culminated in the rise of Podemos. The foundation of Podemos was the result of the confluence of different political groups and activists: a minor radical left radical party of Trotskyite origins, (Anticapitalist Left), and a miscellaneous group of political scientists with strong connections with Latin American national–popular movements, converging in a new political project under the leadership of Pablo Iglesias. However, among this miscellanea, Podemos’ leadership took its cues from Laclau’s theory of populism. Activists of the radical left purposely embraced populist frames and used them to cement multi-class and cross-partisan social unrest into a political action. The success of the 2014 European elections fulfilled their expectations and reinforced populist orientations. Thus, in this chapter we explain how populism evolved within the context of social and political transformations and how populist ideas became crucial for the rise and development of Podemos.
