# Populism Populism is a political movement that claims that society is divided into two opposing groups: ordinary people and powerful elites, and that the rights of the ordinary people are under attack from the elite. It does not rise to the level of an ideology because it does not offer a system for organizing society. Instead, it is more of political style that can be adopted across the political spectrum. On first glance it may seem that populism is desirable in a democracy, especially as it tends to energize the electorate. However, democracy relies on institutions and the rule of law, which populism tends to undermine as it views them as part of the elite. It is brought about when people stop feeling like they are adequately represented by those institutions, and start believing the institutions are really serving someone else (the elite). [[Social Media Caused the Rise of Populism]]