Heather Cox Richardson on Donald Trump, Democracy, and Taylor Swift
Offline with Jon Favreau
00:00
Rise of Authoritarianism through Group Grievance
Authoritarian leaders rise by convincing a dispossessed population that they have been left out due to an external group, rather than due to specific policies. They weld the group into a feeling of grievance and persuade them to back the leader in making things great again. Once the leader convinces the group that they will return the nation to divine or natural rules, and that their opponents are refusing to enact these rules, the group commits to the leader. As the leader mistreats others, the group internalizes their association with the leader and becomes more tightly bound to him, making it difficult for them to give up their support.
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