Course Description
This 10-lecture series explores the global trend known as Populism. Democratic elections in many heretofore liberal democracies brought to power charismatic Populists from outside the political mainstream. Trump in the U. S., Orban in Hungary, are two of many contemporary examples. These Populists vow to fight in the interest of the “everyday citizen” against a perceived corrupt political, legislative, and judicial elite. Once elected, they embark on a political strategy aimed at consolidating executive power, weakening democratic institutions, resulting in a backsliding of heretofore democracies into semi or fully authoritarian regimes. In this series, we will review and analyze the societal and economic conditions that give rise to Populism. We will examine a few case studies demonstrating the perils of the “strong man” rule, expose their methods to dismantle democratic norms and slide or race toward an autocratic rule modelled after fascism itself.
Course Director
Amnon Zohar
Amnon Zohar is an author, speaker and lecturer specializing in Global Affairs with an emphasis on the Middle East. He is a retired hi-tech entrepreneur. Born and educated in Israel, he is a graduate of the Israeli Military Academy for Computer Sciences. Amnon graduated in Political Science at York University and in International Relations at Tel-Aviv University. He lectures regularly in educational institutions and community centers around the GTA and considers himself a champion of Late Life Learning in the “Third Age”.
Amnon Zohar
Term and Time
Winter 2027 – starting January 8
10:00 am on Fridays
Room A100 in York Hall
Course Outline
Two weeks before the course starts, you can download a printable PDF giving the 10-week detailed course outline.
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Lecture Notes
Links to resources such as additional reading or play lists are provided here as the Course Director makes them available during the term. Like the course outline, lecture notes open in a new browser tab so that you can download and print them.
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