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Populism and the Rise of Autocracy

03 December 2020, 6:00 pm–7:15 pm

Rory Stewart, Anne Applebaum and Nadia Urbinati speak at the Populism and the Rise of Autocracy event

There are concerns about the rise of populism and erosion of democratic standards throughout the world. We are joined by Anne Applebaum, author of Twilight of Democracy, Rory Stewart, former MP and cabinet minister, and Nadia Urbinati, author of Me the People, to discuss these worldwide trends, how to counter them, and how worried we should be about a populist rise in the UK.

Event Information

Open to

All

Availability

Yes

Organiser

Abi Turner

There are concerns about the rise of populism and erosion of democratic standards throughout the world. Examples include countries such as Hungary, Poland and Brazil, growing support for populist parties in western Europe, and recent development in the US. Populism has grown through new challenger parties, but also through capture of previously mainstream parties.

To discuss these worldwide trends, how to counter them, and how worried we should be about a populist rise in the UK, we are joined by three international experts:

  • Anne Applebaum, author of ‘Twilight of Democracy: The Failure of Politics and the Parting of Friends’ is a staff writer on The Atlantic and senior fellow of the Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University.  
  • Rory Stewart, is a former Conservative MP and Secretary of State for International Development during Theresa May’s government and now senior fellow at Yale University's Jackson Institute for Global Affairs where he teaches politics and international relations.
  • Professor Nadia Urbinati is Professor of Political Theory at Columbia University in the city of New York and author of ‘Me the People: How Populism Transforms Democracy’.
  • Chair: Professor Meg Russell, Director of the Constitution Unit.

Further Reading: