- 329 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub
About this book
A "brilliantly written, eye-opening" look at how elites distort the meaning of populism by the bestselling author of
What's the Matter with Kansas? (
The Washington Post).
Rarely does a work of history contain startling implications for the present, but in The People, No, New York Times-bestselling author Thomas Frank pulls off that explosive effect by showing us that everything we think we know about populism is wrong. Today "populism" is seen as a frightening thing, a term pundits use to describe the racist philosophy of Donald Trump and European extremists. But this is a mistake.
The real story of populism is an account of enlightenment and liberation; it is the story of American democracy itself, of its ever-widening promise of a decent life for all. Taking us from the tumultuous 1890s, when the radical left-wing Populist Partyâthe biggest mass movement in American historyâfought Gilded Age plutocrats to the reformers' great triumphs under Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman, Frank reminds us how much we owe to the populist ethos. Frank also shows that elitist groups have reliably detested populism, lashing out at working-class concerns. The anti-populist vituperations by the Washington centrists of today are only the latest expression.
Frank pummels the elites, revisits the movement's provocative politics, and declares true populism to be the language of promise and optimism. This is a ringing affirmation of a movement that, Frank shows us, is not the problem of our times, but the solution for what ails us.
"Frank describes an indigenous radical tradition that descends from Jefferson and Paine and stretches forward to Franklin Roosevelt and Martin Luther King Jr. . . . Compelling." ? The New York Times Book Review
"Tom Frank does what few writers today are capable of doing?he criticizes his own side." ? The Wall Street Journal
"Readers come away knowing that at its heart, populism means just one thing: This land was made for you and me." ? The Washington Post
Rarely does a work of history contain startling implications for the present, but in The People, No, New York Times-bestselling author Thomas Frank pulls off that explosive effect by showing us that everything we think we know about populism is wrong. Today "populism" is seen as a frightening thing, a term pundits use to describe the racist philosophy of Donald Trump and European extremists. But this is a mistake.
The real story of populism is an account of enlightenment and liberation; it is the story of American democracy itself, of its ever-widening promise of a decent life for all. Taking us from the tumultuous 1890s, when the radical left-wing Populist Partyâthe biggest mass movement in American historyâfought Gilded Age plutocrats to the reformers' great triumphs under Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman, Frank reminds us how much we owe to the populist ethos. Frank also shows that elitist groups have reliably detested populism, lashing out at working-class concerns. The anti-populist vituperations by the Washington centrists of today are only the latest expression.
Frank pummels the elites, revisits the movement's provocative politics, and declares true populism to be the language of promise and optimism. This is a ringing affirmation of a movement that, Frank shows us, is not the problem of our times, but the solution for what ails us.
"Frank describes an indigenous radical tradition that descends from Jefferson and Paine and stretches forward to Franklin Roosevelt and Martin Luther King Jr. . . . Compelling." ? The New York Times Book Review
"Tom Frank does what few writers today are capable of doing?he criticizes his own side." ? The Wall Street Journal
"Readers come away knowing that at its heart, populism means just one thing: This land was made for you and me." ? The Washington Post
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can cancel anytime from the Subscription tab in your account settings on the Perlego website. Your subscription will stay active until the end of your current billing period. Learn how to cancel your subscription.
At the moment all of our mobile-responsive ePub books are available to download via the app. Most of our PDFs are also available to download and we're working on making the final remaining ones downloadable now. Learn more here.
Perlego offers two plans: Essential and Complete
- Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
- Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.4M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
We are an online textbook subscription service, where you can get access to an entire online library for less than the price of a single book per month. With over 1 million books across 1000+ topics, weâve got you covered! Learn more here.
Look out for the read-aloud symbol on your next book to see if you can listen to it. The read-aloud tool reads text aloud for you, highlighting the text as it is being read. You can pause it, speed it up and slow it down. Learn more here.
Yes! You can use the Perlego app on both iOS or Android devices to read anytime, anywhere â even offline. Perfect for commutes or when youâre on the go.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Yes, you can access The People, No by Thomas Frank in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Politics & International Relations & Democracy. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.
Information
Table of contents
- Cover
- Title Page
- Copyright Notice
- Epigraph
- Introduction: The Cure for the Common Man
- 1. What Was Populism?
- 2. âBecause Right Is Right and God Is Godâ
- 3. Peak Populism in the Proletarian Decade
- 4. âThe Upheaval of the Unfitâ
- 5. Consensus Redensus
- 6. Lift Every Voice
- 7. The Money Changers Burn the Temple
- 8. Let Us Now Scold Uncouth Men
- Conclusion: The Question
- Photographs
- Afterword: Science and Populism in the Plague Year
- Notes
- Acknowledgments
- Index
- Also by Thomas Frank
- Praise for The People, No
- About the Author
- Newsletter Sign-up
- Contents
- Copyright