The Pushback Against Liberal Thinking—Is Populism the Answer?

Times are changing, and the utopias of the post-World War II period have not beenrealized. At the end of that war, the peoples of the civilized nations were sick andtired of racism, nationalism, war, and concentration camps—the results gleaned from  attempts at national glorification. They sought relief in rejection of traditional modes of governance and the ways their economies were being managed.

Three decades of mass mobilization for war had left Europe exhausted, and a consensus formed that the West could not endure another round of nationalist zealotry. Furthermore, advancing scientific discoveries had replaced old systems of thought. But, scientific thinking could not find genuine values in life as older Christian leadership had done. Progressive ideas continuously eroded old values until the only thing left was a sort of worship of the individual and his unfettered freedom.

Populist movements rose and fell, all designed to express the disenchantment of older ways of thinking.  

However, populist movements have a way of going sour. An example of this was the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). Spaniards were suffering under authoritarian government operated by wealthy and elite bureaucrats.  Populist support in opposition of such government arose under the leadership of General Francisco Franco. That movement was allied with fascist guerilla-type fighters, but Franco’s own conservative authoritarianism outfitted itself with Christian trappings to suit his followers. The war resulted in Franco’s iron-fisted rule of the Iberian Peninsula until his death in 1975; and his rule turned out to be just as bad or worse than the rule of his predecessors. The war was an example of how populism had gone wrong—thousands of people (on both sides of the conflict) were viciously murdered. The dignity of the individual, an early aim of the conflict, was not attained in this bloody war.

In America, today, we have the result of a populist movement that was opposed to governmental control in Washington.  That populist movement swept Donald Trump into office. Nationalism is now on the ascendant. Isolationist tendencies are being proposed to replace global responsibilities. We Americans need to be vigilant and watch carefully. Many are happy with Trumpian government; but we must maintain a suspicious attitude. I, for one, wonder if we can trust a serial adulterer with the reins of power in our republic. I think it is a shame that we can never seem to elect a committed Christian with practical governing skills to our highest office.

I am indebted to R. R. Reno and Samuel Moyn, writing in First Things, May 2017 for most of the thoughts expressed in this short essay.