The Continuity of Populism in Serbia: From the 19th to the 21st century

In the second half of the 19th century, Serbian populism became a focal point of the political life of the country and the dominant social model. Established by the Radical Party and relying on the ideas of Russian populism, it was manifested in two forms: as social egalitarianism and ideological nationalism. A monopolistic party, reliance on Russia, an authoritarian leader, essentialisation of the nation and a striving for the establishment of a great state were the basic forms through which it was manifested. In socialist Yugoslavia the predominant form of populism was the leftist one, emanated through resistance to market reforms and the liberalisation of society. At the time of the breakdown of European socialism, Serbia, at the time of the so-called antibureaucratic revolution, turned towards radical populism personified by Slobodan MiloπeviÊ. That was a time of transformation of leftist and pro-Yugoslav populism into a predominantly right-wing Serbian populism with an ultranationalist content. The pattern established in this way has not significantly changed to the present day.