What is a Populist?
A populist is a person who subscribes to the political philosophy of populism, which is in favor of supporting the rights of the masses and giving power to the people in the struggle against the privileged upper class. The general philosophies of populism theoretically fall somewhere in the center of the political spectrum, as opposed to left or right, but one populist will rarely have the same beliefs as another. Typically, a populist is liberal on economic and national security issues, but conservative on social issues. Examining the populist movement in America from its inception to the present day will give a general understanding of a populist’s belief system.
