Populism as a Theoretical Concept (Essay Sample)

This assignment was an essay on populism. The instructions for the assignment were as shown below:
uring the first half of this course, we examined populism as a theoretical concept, noting that despite a growing interest in populism as a political and social phenomenon, the concept remains contested, with some scholars contending that populism is a strategy, others indicating it is an ideology, and others arguing that it is a “political style.” For your midterm examination, you will examine the extent to which populism as a “political style” fits the American experience by applying the concept to the Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump campaigns. Prompt: Over the course of the last few weeks, we have paid particular attention to the “populist political style” as a way to determine whether or not a candidate is “performing populism”. Given your understanding of the “populist political style” and the American political system, are Sen. Bernie Sanders AND former President Donald Trump populists? Why? Why not? 1. Define the three components of the “populist political style.” 2. Briefly outline the behaviors associated with each of the three components of the “populist political style” (i.e., How is each component “performed”?). 3. Apply insights from the above discussion to Sanders AND Trump (i.e., Are their behaviors consistent with “performing populism”?). 4. Use the above to construct your argument as to whether Sanders and Trump are populists (i.e., Are Sanders and Trump broadly “performing populism” Why? Why not?).