Verified Document

Populist Persuasion, Michael Kazin Sees Populism As Term Paper

¶ … Populist Persuasion," Michael Kazin sees populism as a vehicle for the weak and disenfranchised common person to address and challenge the ruling elite. As such, Kazin views populism as an "impulse" that is at the very root of American democracy. Kazin's view of populism can be seen as an outgrowth of the democratic ideology of the American Revolution, as described by Wood. Kazin argues that populism has gradually moved from the political left to the right of the political spectrum. George W. Bush's current attempts at economic and moral populism give us a better understanding of Kazin's arguments. Finally, "All the King's Men" explores the relationship between populism and the corruption of the political system. Kazin feels that populism is a more of an "impulse than an ideology," and that populism is the very language of democracy. He defines populism as a political language that regards "ordinary people as a noble assemblage" who are intent to remove wrongly appropriated power from the elite. He sees populism as "elastic and promiscuous," and rejects the idea that populism refers only to the mass movement that moved across the U.S. In the late 1800s. Further, Kazin rejects the definition of populism as anything that is popular, whether cultural or political (like Bruce Springsteen or the Rubik's Cube).

In "Radicalism of the American Revolution," Gordon Wood argues that the American Revolution was the force that unleashed social forces that transformed American Society between 1760 and 1820. Wood asserts that the American Revolution was "the most radical and far-reaching event in American history." He notes that the American Revolution was not a simple conservative movement to defend American rights in order to preserve the existing structure of society. Instead, Wood believes that the American Revolution was a radical change from the traditional order, to produce a society that was democratic and free, far beyond even in the insight or wishes of the founding fathers. Ultimately, he argues that he American Revolution sparked the politics of American liberal democracy, which are dominated...

history. When considered in the light of Wood's analysis that liberal democracy rose from the Revolution, it can easily be argued that Kazin's idea of an "elastic and promiscuous" populism grew from the same roots, and is in fact the same beast as Wood's conception of democracy. Certainly, if Kazin sees populism as a political impulse and language that frees the ordinary people form the tyranny of the elite, then it can be argued with some force that these democratic principles originated in the American Revolution as described by Wood.
Kazin argues that populism has moved from the left to the right in the American political spectrum since the time of the American Revolution. Kazin argues that this shift occurred around 1945, after the New Deal and World War II.

Kazin argues that moral concerns are at the root of this shift of the populist movement. Moral concerns have been an important part of the populist movement since its inception in the American Revolution. The Great Awakening, a major religious revival, brought new life American politics. During the American Revolution, religion justified opposition to the British, and allowing the common American to believe that revolution was justified by God. In the minds of many Americans at the time religion and patriotism were firmly connected (The Library of Congress).

Given the history of the moral basis of the populist movement, Kazin's assertion that moral concerns still drive the movement gains some credence. Kazin argues that during the New Great Depression populism became a more economic concern, as organized labor kept the economic basis of populism alive. However, after WWII Kazin argues that the right has espoused moral causes in order to build a majoritarian movement. This movement is strongly opposed to the secular elite, who they view as controlling the common person. As such, populism has shifted to the…

Sources used in this document:
Works Cited

All the King's Men. Cast: Broderick Crawford, John Ireland, et al. Director: Robert Rossen. Columbia/Tristar, 1949.

Kazin, Michael. The Populist Persuasion: An American History.

Cornell University Press, 1998.

Library of Congress. Religion and the Founding of the American Republic. 17 November 2002. http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/religion/
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Persuasion / Tu Quoque Fallacies Persuasion. I
Words: 1567 Length: 4 Document Type: Essay

Persuasion / Tu Quoque Fallacies Persuasion. I remember an occasion when I went on a canoeing trip with my friend David from high school. David is the sort of person who always totally speaks his mind about anything -- he is not shy about commenting (often in an almost abrasive manner) on the person you are dating, or the clothes you are wearing, or anything else that happens to pop into his

Persuasion "There Is a Persuasive
Words: 1040 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

Shaping, reinforcing, and changing responses. Shaping; mind-sets are "shaped" by relating satisfying environments with a product, individual, or a thought. Reinforcing; opposite of the accepted belief, many persuasive communications are not intended to change people, but to strengthen a place they already embrace. Changing; it is one of the most significant persuasive impact and the one that comes in to mind immediately when we think of persuasion. Communications can

Persuasion the Art of Persuasion
Words: 1853 Length: 5 Document Type: Thesis

A second everyday advertisement that most people often encounter comes in the mail or stapled to the pizza box. It is an advertisement, perhaps with a coupon, to dine at a local or chain restaurant. This attempt at persuasion uses the tactic of controlling the context. Even with poor wording or graphics, the existence of the coupon, and the fact that one is forced to hold the advertisement when one

Persuasion Persuasive Communication: Impression Management
Words: 1234 Length: 4 Document Type: Essay

This can be a difficult balance to attain though. It proceeds from the view that persuasive communication is only partially defined by the delivery of a message. An equally significant part of this, at least when contextualized by interpersonal forms of communication, is the effectiveness with which one appears to have received communicated ideas and information from those who will receive the message in question. Indeed, the ability to establish

Persuasion in TV Ads
Words: 888 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

Persuasion in Television Advertisements Advertising and marketing specialists frequently use specialized techniques to communicate with audiences by appealing to a specific type of customer and helping a brand or product to be memorable or appealing. Advertisements frequently accomplish this by using spokespeople, slogans, or visual symbols or displays that grab the intended audience's attention and appeal to the customer's curiosity, sense of ascetics or humor. This paper will assess two such

Persuasion Memo Project Strive Thanks
Words: 570 Length: 2 Document Type: Term Paper

This diagram describes my proposal for assessments: Operator Services Manager Senior Operator Senior Operator Senior Operator 15 Operators 15 Operators 15 Operators This task delegation will make regular assessments administratively feasible, and will contribute to task diversity for the most Senior Operators in the department. Costs The main points of concern expressed by you involving costs to the company involved the expenses involved in hiring a Learning Services Manager and the development of an incentives

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now