demagogue

Also known as rabble-rouser

thumb|José Clemente Orozco's painting The Demagogue, 1946

Wikidata facts

Show 3 more facts

female form of label: demagoga
Commons category: Demagogues
male form of label: demagogo

via Wikidata · CC0

~36 min read

Article

37 sections

Contents

History and definition of the word
History and characteristics of demagogues
Emotional oratory and personal charisma
Tactics
Scapegoating
Fearmongering
Lying
Accusing opponents of weakness and disloyalty
Promising the impossible
Encouraging violence and using physical intimidation
Personal insults and ridicule
Exhibiting vulgarity and behaving outrageously
Folksy posturing
Making gross oversimplification
Attacking the news media
Actions in power
Establishing one-man rule, subverting the rule of law
Appointing unqualified lackeys to high office
Ancient history
Cleon (died 422 BC)
Alcibiades (c.450–404 BC)
Gaius Flaminius (c. 275–217 BC)
Modern era
Adolf Hitler (1889–1945)
Huey Long (1893–1935)
Joseph McCarthy (1908–1957)
Donald Trump
Narendra Modi
Positive demagoguery
Tactical demagoguery
Demagoguery in constitutional office
See also
Notes
References
Sources
Further reading
External links

thumb|José Clemente Orozco's painting The Demagogue, 1946

A demagogue (; ; ), or rabble-rouser, is a political leader in a democracy who gains popularity by arousing the common people against elites, especially through oratory that whips up the passions of crowds, appealing to emotion by scapegoating out-groups, exaggerating dangers to stoke fears, lying for emotional effect, or other rhetoric that tends to drown out reasoned deliberation and encourage fanatical popularity. Demagogues overturn established norms of political conduct, or promise or threaten to do so.