From Lenin to the Present:The Dynamic Definition and Continued Criticism of Populism
The commonalities and differences in the discourse of"the people"have always created tension between Marxism and populism.Using historical materialism,Lenin deconstructed the Russian Populists'concept of"the people",and while successfully rallying the revolutionary forces within Russian society,he also provided Marxist resources to refute populism.After World War Ⅱ,as Western Marxists sought new theoretical inspirations beyond revolutionary praxis,populism emerged as a new theoretical form among the radical left,with Laclau and Mouffe's left-wing populism being particularly influential.Examining Laclau and Mouffe's left-wing populism through the lens of Lenin not only reveals its theoretical failures and losses after the"farewell to Lenin",but also inspires attempts to identify the true revolutionary subjects in the"return to Lenin".