A Left-wing populist insurgency exploded across the West in the wake of the Great Financial Crisis

After decades of retreat, the last decade saw a left resurgence from the US to Western Europe and the Mediterranean. This revival of anti-establishment left-wing candidates was not only left but also populistThough in most cases these movements ran out of steam before effectively being in a position wield state power, many of the parties and figures associated with this wave of left populism have entered government and others are still contesting high office.

Providing a blow-by-blow history of the rise and defeat of left electoral movements in the West, Boriello and Jaeger guide us through the conditions that shaped this wave of insurgenciesThese include extreme and rising inequality, the collapse of civic life, and a lack of trust in traditional institutions.

In this context, Boriello and Jaeger argue that some or another form of populism was all but inevitable. And, despite defeats, left offensives of present and future will be populist in natureThis is because the conditions that shaped the first left populist wave are still very much with us.


Format Häftad Omfång 224 sidor Språk Engelska Förlag Verso Books Utgivningsdatum 2023-09-26 ISBN 9781804292488