MARGARET MACMILLAN: By defining ‘the people’ , populists assume the power to exclude

The word “populism” was everywhere in 2016. Political leaders claiming to speak for the people have achieved significant victories in Europe, Asia, and, with the election of Donald Trump, the United States, writes Margaret Macmillan.

Populism first described the late 19th-century protest by American farmers against banks and railroad monopolies.

Now, the term describes the anger and resentment felt for privileged, powerful elites in the public and private sectors alike.