الجذور التاريخية للشعبوية في الولايات المتحدة وأوروبا وتداعياتها المستقبلية على الديمقراطية الليبرالية

Abstract

This study examines populism's evolution in the United States and Europe from late 19th-century agrarian movements to contemporary exclusionary political discourse. Moving beyond traditional narratives, the research analyzes the transition from grassroots mobilization to "algorithmic populism," where digital platforms bypass institutional intermediaries and deepen political polarization. The central argument positions contemporary populism as a structural manifestation of democratic backsliding, wherein populist actors exploit electoral mandates to undermine liberal safeguards, judicial independence, and pluralistic values. The study critically examines how far-right movements instrumentalize identity politics, employing exclusionary rhetoric to portray Muslims and Arabs as civilizational threats to national identity. Through historical comparative analysis and contemporary political theory, the research demonstrates how digital technologies have fundamentally altered populist strategies, enabling direct mobilization while circumventing democratic intermediaries. The findings reveal that persistent populist dynamics risk consolidating hybrid regimes that maintain democratic forms while systematically hollowing out their liberal substance. The study concludes that mitigating the populist challenge requires comprehensive renewal of representative mechanisms and robust defense of inclusive citizenship to counter systematic alienation of popular classes. These insights are crucial for understanding populism as both historical phenomenon and contemporary threat to liberal democratic governance.