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Psychological Mechanisms Underlying the Populist Threat to Democracy

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The Psychology of Political Behavior in a Time of Change

Part of the book series: Identity in a Changing World ((ICW))

Abstract

Authoritarian populism is spreading through the United States, Western and Eastern Europe, threatening long existing democracies. This is a response to social change and to the economic consequences of the 2008 recession. Donald Trump is riding the crest of this social movement and undermining American democracy in profoundly disturbing ways. His relentless use of fear, anger, lies, and intimidation places him very much in the mode of Adolph Hitler.

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Correspondence to Joan S. Rabin .

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Rabin, J.S. (2021). Psychological Mechanisms Underlying the Populist Threat to Democracy. In: Sinnott, J.D., Rabin, J.S. (eds) The Psychology of Political Behavior in a Time of Change. Identity in a Changing World. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-38270-4_21

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