The rise of populism in liberal world order

This thesis focuses on populism, a set of discourses and practices, which is articulated with different ideologies and movements it interacts with. As populism can be accommodated and employed by different ideologies, movements and actors, it is very difficult to establish a common definition. Populism gives leaders the power to attract the masses by employing distinctions like us and them, corrupt elites and pure people. The roots of political, social and economic reasons behind the rise of extreme right wing populism since the 1990s can be found in neoliberal economic policies, introduced in the 1980s to maintain capitalist mode of production, which resulted in poverty and unemployment which, in turn, led to divisions within society. This study examines the relationship between rising populism and neoliberal policies in Europe and the USA within the context of the liberal world order. Of late, Europe has witnessed the rise of racist and anti-immigrant populist discourses. Typical examples of these can be found in the discourses and practices employed by the Law and Justice Party (PiS) in power in Poland and FIDESZ in Hungary. In the United States, Donald Trump's populist rhetoric and practices have further motivated these parties. These populist parties and leaders claim to represent "the people" and thus are able to successfully mobilize the people. Lately, it is argued that the extreme right-wing populism challenges and damages the liberal world order and universal values. Within this context, this study analyzes populist discourses and practices in the cases of Hungray, Poland, and the United States and it argues that populism erodes the existing liberal values and, thus, poses a threat to the liberal order. Keywords: Populism, Liberal World Order, European Politics, Extreme-Right, United States of America