Why Populism and Nationalism is a Successful Combination? A Theoretical Explanation

Abstract

Contemporary nationalism and populism in Europe have been referred as a “powerful cocktail” or “the cancer of Europe”. Both nationalism and populism claim to represent the people, if nationalism states who is in and out of the people, populism stresses on down and up representation, blames illegitimate and corrupted elite by claiming that populists do instead represent the people. On the eve of inflow of non-European immigrants and refugees to Europe awakening of national sentiments became a good strategy for populists. The paper will provide a closer theoretical look at concepts of nationalism and populism and more importantly will explore the interplay between populism and nationalism by suggesting the three “the people” concept: (1) defining what is/ who is “the people,” (2) building an image of “other” vis-à-vis “the people,” and (3) anti-establishment movement against the “other” in the name of “the people.” The paper considers later an empirical case of Hungary with its anti-immigrant discourse which secured continuation of Orban’s regime until 2022, to discuss closely a “powerful cocktail” of nationalism and populism in Hungary.