The people as a political subject

Abstract

Appeals to the “good republican people,” anti-oligarchic rhetoric, the idolatry of leaders, and, above all, demagoguery, have been highlighted as traits that reveal a populist bias in the Portuguese Republican Party. The theoretical and methodological ambiguity surrounding the concept of populism has not aided in understanding the role of Portuguese republicanism in the democratization of Portuguese society. In this article, I aim to emphasize that, at the turn of the 19th to the 20th century, the radical republican sector played a key role in consolidating the demoliberal movement – primarily through its unique use of political communication, which framed political activity in a broader, more inclusive, and participatory manner, thereby contributing to the conception of the people as a political subject.