金融時報:FT年度詞匯：民粹主義

FT年度詞匯：民粹主義

FT評選出了2014年最熱的一些詞匯，并由編輯們撰文解釋和分析。“民粹主義”為何成為年度熱詞？我們需要知道關于民粹主義的哪些事情？

測試中可能遇到的詞匯和知識：

ideology意識形態(tài)，觀念

Gracchi brothers格拉古兄弟，以發(fā)動土改而著稱的羅馬政治家

on a roll運氣好，超常發(fā)揮

rollercoaster過山車

agrarian土地的，農業(yè)的

A year in a word: Populism(300 words)

by Tony Barber, December 29, 2014 Those who claim to speak for the common people had a good 2014, writes Tony Barber

Populism

noun — political ideology that claims to speak for the common people; a brand of politics hostile to elites and established parties.

From the Gracchi brothers of ancient Rome to Hugo Chávez, the late Venezuelan president, populism boasts a colourful past and a rollercoaster record of political success and failure.

Today populists in parts of Europe believe themselves to be on a roll. In 2014 they enjoyed one of their most encouraging years since the second world war. Insurgent anti-establishment movements recorded electoral triumphs and opinion poll gains everywhere from France and Greece to Spain, Sweden and the UK.

No two European populist parties are alike and half the time they do not like each other, making generalisations risky. But most share a contempt for political elites and anger at the speed, scope and irresistibility of change in the modern world. Among rightwing populists, hostility to immigrants is a common feature.

A few populist parties on the left, such as Syriza of Greece and Podemos of Spain, want the euro to survive, but with socialist-style changes to eurozone economic policies. Germany's Alternative für Deutschland and Italy's Five-Star Movement are anti-euro. The Freedom party of the Netherlands is anti-Islamist, but its tolerant stance on gay sexuality is unpalatable to rightwing populists in Poland.

None of these parties is revolutionary — unlike the Russian intellectuals, known as narodniki (literally, “populists”), who in the 1870s tried, and failed, to stir up the peasants against tsarist autocracy.

The People's party, a mainly agrarian US movement, briefly captured the US imagination in the 1890s by railing against banks, industrial monopolies and urban political elites. By the dawn of the 20th century it was in decline — but its spirit survives in the modern Tea Party.

請根據你所讀到的文章內容，完成以下自測題目：

1.Populism is on the rise in 2014 mainly in?

A.Europe.

B.US.

C.South America.

D.Russia.

答案(1)

2.What is a correct generalisation about populism in Europe?

A.They are hostile to immigration.

B.They don't want the euro.

C.They want socialism for the EU.

D.They despise the establishment and elites.

答案(2)

3.Among historical populists, who is against banks and industrial monopolies?

A.Gracchi brothers of ancient Rome.

B.Hugo Chavez of modern Venezuela.

C.Anti-Tsarist Russian intellectuals.

D.19th century American People's party.

答案(3)

* * *

(1)答案：A.Europe.

解釋：第三段一開頭劃定了范圍：Today populists in parts of Europe believe themselves to be on a roll.

(2)答案：D.They despise the establishment and elites.

解釋：文中可以讀出，歐洲的民粹主義政黨有左翼的也有右翼的，有支持歐元的也有反對歐元的，有容忍同性戀的，也有反對的。真正的共同點，在于他們鄙視政治精英階層，反對世界上迅猛的變化。

(3)答案：D.19th century American People's party.

解釋：現代的民粹主義起源于19世紀末的俄國和美國，對今天的世界影響巨大。