ABSTRACT

While there has been much focus in recent times on the rise of right-wing populism in Europe, there has been surprisingly little material on the phenomenon of left-wing populism. This edited collection seeks to fill that gap with an investigation of the relationship between the radical left and populism. Featuring a broad range of historical and contemporary case studies from across Europe, this is a much-needed empirical account of this phenomenon.

This book will be of considerable interest to researchers, scholars and students of left radicalism, European politics and the politics of social movements. It will also appeal to appeal to non-academic audiences, especially party and social movement activists because of its politically salient topic and its historical and comparative focus.

part I|2 pages

Left radicalism and populism across history

chapter 3|16 pages

Social democracy and the temptation of populism between the world wars

France in a comparative perspective

chapter 4|20 pages

Historicising the populist temptation

The case of Eurocommunism 1

part III|2 pages

Social movements, populism and socialist strategy

chapter 9|21 pages

Mapping anti-austerity discourse

Populism, sloganeering and/or realism? 1

chapter 10|19 pages

West European trade unions, labour and ‘the people’

From the golden era to the times of austerity

chapter 11|34 pages

Populism as ‘deceptive invocations of the popular’

A political approach

chapter 12|9 pages

Conclusions

Populism and left radicalism in Europe across time and space