Nationalism and Populism: identity and differences

Abstract

The article discloses the logic of populism and nationalism, presents the rationale: when and why these discourses historically arise, and what function they perform in modern politics. First of all, nationalism and populism are internally intertwined, have a common structural origin, they cannot be completely separated from each other, even if it is possible to distinguish the ideal–typical logic of these phenomena. Secondly, nationalism and populism manifest themselves in various forms: the vitality of "banal" nationalism is accompanied by the almost ubiquitous presence of "subtle" populism. Thirdly, the problem of the relationship of nationalism and populism to modern democracy is, in principle, intractable. Nationalism and populism are absolutely necessary for the functioning of modern democracy, as they offer a solution to the border problem and the problem of political representation. Accordingly, without a minimum layer of nationalism and populism, the modern democratic community would disintegrate before it could form.