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Annotated Bibliography

Popular Populism

Why has populist rhetoric become so popular among politicians around the world?

Alex Muckenfuss

Professor Malcolm Campbell

UWRT 1104

10-12-17
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Annotated Bibliography

Boos, Linda, and Kees Brants. Populist Rhetoric in Politics and Media: A Longitunal Study of

the Netherlands. European Journal of Communication, vol. 29, no. 6, 15 Sept. 2014, pp.

703719., journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0267323114545709. Web. 15 Oct. 2017.

This peer reviewed journal article is a reliable, credible source. A study executed out of

the University of Amsterdam, the study and subsequent article is based around examining

why populism has grown in the Netherlands over the last 10 years. What makes this study

special is that the focus is on how the media aided the spread of populism spanning seven

elections over 20 years. The study finds that at some point in the mid 2000s, media

populism in the Netherlands actually declines, yet the populist parties start to receive

more legitimate news coverage directly correlating to more party success and

contributions to the mainstream. This is the main takeaway they stress in the study,

with their interpretation being that populism is in fact not on the rise as media populism

has declined in the Netherlands according to their findings. However, I would pose a

different interpretation with their data and would claim that what they found does not

mean populism is in decline, but instead the rhetoric and methods of these parties

increased so strongly and quickly that they are now commonly accepted as the new

normal. I cant say for sure yet if I will end up using this source. The findings are

interesting, however the specificity to the Netherlands isnt ideal, on the contrary it helps

support my goal in establishing a pattern of societal behavior worldwide. This article also

strengthens my working hypothesis that the main impetus with these movements is a

feeling of nativism and anti-immigration rhetoric.

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Taylor, James, and Baz Hatfield. Last Week Tonight. French Elections, performance by John

Oliver, season 4, episode 9, HBO, 16 Apr. 2017.

This TV show, while comedic in tone still counts as a news show and therefore I plan to

use it as my developed article source. The show Last Week Tonight is an HBO talk show

hosted by comedian John Oliver. In the format of a news program, Oliver uses satire to

dive into different topics often political ones. Oliver has a clear slant to the left of the

political spectrum. This episode of the show he takes an in depth look at the elections in

France, explaining how they work and looking at the candidates. At the root of Olivers

piece, he is comparing one of the candidatesMarine Le Pen and her platform to the

messages of both Donald Trump and the British referendum on leaving the European

Union. Oliver ends his piece with a plea to the French people to be better than the

United States and the United Kingdom. Oliver earned his stripes coming up with Jon

Stewart as a correspondent on the Daily Show. The show has won 6 primetime Emmy

awards in its 4 seasons. This source was helpful for me as it not only connects dots

between the US, UK, and French political movements, but lays the groundwork for

actually beginning to answer some of the questions I have posed. I will be using this

source to introduce a hypothesis that nativism is the main link between these

multinational populist movements.

Why Vote Leave. Vote Leave, Nation Builder,

www.voteleavetakecontrol.org/why_vote_leave.html.

This is the website that served as the home for the Leave campaign during the

referendum on membership in the European Union in 2016. Some would trace the
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beginning of this movement all the way back to 1975 when the nation held a referendum

on the question: Do you think the UK should stay in the European Community?

Tensions between the EU and the United Kingdom kept gradually rising until boiling

over last year. The main message of the campaign is to put Britain first and ahead of their

European neighbors. The website stresses a few main points to illustrate that platform:

We will be able to save 350 million pounds a week, Well be free to trade to the whole

world, We can make our own laws, and one of the most stressed factors the ability to

be in charge of our own borders and control immigration. The campaign was lead and

supported by: Liberal leave, Conservatives for Britain, Students for Britain,

Business for Britain, Economists for Britain, and Historians for Britain. This

source is obviously bias as it has been created for the purpose of convincing the British

electorate to vote in their favor. However, I think that I can still utilize this source

because while I wouldnt look to use their numbers, data, or some kind of quantitative

analysis, it is the best possible source for the line of thinking and reasoning for those who

supported that sentiment and similar ideas. This source is also useful because it will again

assist me in establishing and supporting my hypothesis that anti-immigration is the

driving factor in the various pop up populist movements around the globe.

Wilson, Graham k. Brexit, Trump, and the Special Relationship. British Journal of Politics

and International Relations, vol. 19, no. 3, 1 Aug. 2017, pp. 543557.,

doi:10.1177/1369148117713719.

This scholarly article is going to be key in my eventual final product for my extended

inquiry project. The author examines virtually the same pattern I have set out to study as
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he seeks to make a connection between populist movements in France, Austria, Germany,

The Netherlands, Great Britain, and the United States. He looks at similarities across

these movements I have noticed as well including the campaign strategies, rhetoric, and

their base of support. The article later goes on to focus more closely into the special

relationship between President Trump and the politicians who supported Leave in the

UK. He points out an ironic point that it will now be harder for them to work together as

effectively due to their accomplished goals. He ends the article by asserting that both the

United States and the United Kingdom will become less attractive diplomatic and

economic partners to each other and the rest of the world because of what he believes will

be the fallout from Brexit and Trump Administration campaign victories. I believe this to

be a fantastic source. It is written by a credible professor with ties to the prestigious and

well-respected Boston University. I can see an element of bias in his writing, but every

claim is backed up and supported. This is not someone yelling or ranting their thoughts,

but a meticulously planned and well-articulated article that has a point of view. I plan on

using this article to reaffirm my basic point that advanced democracies around the world

are experiencing the same phenomena around the same time.