Antecedents of Resistance: Populism and the Possibilities for Democratic Globalization

Globalization is often portrayed as a new and unique phenomenon to our times. However, the dependence of American society upon global markets is not new. American Populists of the 19th century faced a similar matrix of political economic constraints. The Populists faced such challenges as the expansion of international trade, a deflationary international monetary order, integrating global capital markets, dependence on credit, and a political system unable to effectively regulate economic activity to public ends. In short, they responded to a system that from their perspective emphasized corporate profits at the expense of democracy. The Populists goal was to create a more democratic political economy in the face of these constraints. Today globalism has been countered by a diverse series of previously unconnected social movements. This paper argues that these movements are part of a rich tradition of democratic responses to the dislocations resulting from attempts to internationalize and commodify all social relations. As such, these 19th century movements offer instruction in the confrontation between democracy and capitalism in its latest iteration. For example, one important continuity between resistance to globalism today, is the use of democratized traditions of moral economy arguments to confront developing inequalities. Successful fair trade alternatives to free trade similarly depend upon moral economy arguments. Despite the inequalities resulting from globalization, challenges from the democratic promise have endured.