ABSTRACT
In the context of the vast literature on populism, this chapter focuses on a specific variety of Western European Populist Parties, namely the populist radical left parties (PRLPs). It proposes the inclusion of radical left populism in the category of "inclusionary populism", which Cas Mudde and Rovira Kaltwasser use to make a distinction from the "exclusionary populism" typical of the radical racist and xenophobic right. A perspective can be observed in the praxis of a number of radical left-wing European parties. Contemporary forms of populism are structured on the same rules of representative liberal democracy, founded on free elections, the majority principle and party pluralism, which allow the respect of political liberty. The antagonistic pluralism of complex societies becomes a constituent element of modern democracies, which, far from being a threat to social stability, can be seen as a precondition of liberal democracy.
