Modern American populism: Analyzing the economics behind the Silent Majority, the Tea Party and Trumpism

dc.contributor.advisor Tessa Ditonto
dc.contributor.author Patenaude, Willis
dc.contributor.department Political Science
dc.date 2018-08-11T18:18:19.000
dc.date.accessioned 2020-06-30T03:11:03Z
dc.date.available 2020-06-30T03:11:03Z
dc.date.copyright Tue May 01 00:00:00 UTC 2018
dc.date.embargo 2001-01-01
dc.date.issued 2018-01-01
dc.description.abstract <p>This article researches populism, more specifically, Modern American Populism (MAP), constructed of white, rural, and economically oppressed reactionarianism, which was borne out of the political upheaval of the 1960’s Civil Rights movement. The research looks to explain the causes of populism and what leads voters to support populist movements and politicians. The research focuses on economic anxiety as the main cause but also examines an alternative theory of racial resentment. In an effort to answer the question, what causes</p> <p>populist movements and motivations, I apply a research approach that utilizes qualitative and quantitative methods. There is an examination of literature that defines populism, its causes and a detailed discussion of the case studies, including the 1972 election of Richard Nixon; the Tea Party election of 2010; and the 2016 election of Donald Trump. In addition, statistical data analysis was run using American National Election Studies (ANES) surveys associated with each specific case study. These case studies were chosen because they most represent forms of populist movements in modern American history. While ample qualitative evidence suggested support for the hypothesis that economic anxiety is a necessary condition for populist voting patterns that elected Nixon, the Tea Party and Trump, the statistical data only supported the hypothesis in two cases, 2010 and 2016, with 1972 coming back inconclusive. The data also suggested that both economic anxiety and racial resentment played a role in 2010 and 2016, while having no significant effect in 1972 in either case. This suggests that further research needs to be conducted into additional populist case studies, as well as an examination into the role economic anxiety and economic crises play on racial resentment and racially motivated voting behavior.</p>
dc.format.mimetype application/pdf
dc.identifier archive/lib.dr.iastate.edu/etd/16432/
dc.identifier.articleid 7439
dc.identifier.contextkey 12319013
dc.identifier.doi https://doi.org/10.31274/etd-180810-6062
dc.identifier.s3bucket isulib-bepress-aws-west
dc.identifier.submissionpath etd/16432
dc.identifier.uri https://dr.lib.iastate.edu/handle/20.500.12876/30615
dc.language.iso en
dc.source.bitstream archive/lib.dr.iastate.edu/etd/16432/Patenaude_iastate_0097M_17358.pdf|||Fri Jan 14 21:00:18 UTC 2022
dc.subject.disciplines Political Science
dc.subject.keywords Nixon
dc.subject.keywords Populism
dc.subject.keywords Populist
dc.subject.keywords Tea Party
dc.subject.keywords Trump
dc.subject.keywords Trumpism
dc.title Modern American populism: Analyzing the economics behind the Silent Majority, the Tea Party and Trumpism
dc.type thesis en_US
dc.type.genre thesis en_US
dspace.entity.type Publication
relation.isOrgUnitOfPublication a4a018a7-4afa-4663-ba11-f2828cbd0a15
thesis.degree.discipline Political Science
thesis.degree.level thesis
thesis.degree.name Master of Arts
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