What does the word "demagogue" mean?
dem•a•gogue or dem•a•gog (ˈdɛm əˌgɒg, -ˌgɔg) n., v. -gogued, -gogu•ing. n. 1. a person, esp. a political leader, who gains power by arousing people's emotions and prejudices. 2. (in ancient times) a leader of the people. v.i. 3. to speak or act like a demagogue. [1640–50; < Greek dēmagōgós = dêm (os) people + agōgós guiding]
What is the definition of a demagogue?
Demagogues are leaders who use rhetorical appeals, particularly pathos, to influence a specific audience. The word started as a neutral term in ancient Greece to describe leaders like Cleon, but it developed a negative connotation, especially when it is used in modern political contexts.
What does demagogo mean?
demagogo. word used in the Dominican Republic concerning to a person who is jealous of another and usually hates the success of another and try to destroy anything on their back. " ese tipo es un demagogo". "that guy is a hater". "muerte pa' lo demagogo".
What is another word for demagogue?
Synonyms for demagogue include firebrand, agitator, incendiary, instigator, inciter, fomenter, troublemaker, provocateur, exciter and kindler. Find more similar words ...
Where did the demagogue come from?
The word demagogue, originally meaning a leader of the common people, was first coined in ancient Greece with no negative connotation, but eventually came to mean a troublesome kind of leader who occasionally arose in Athenian democracy.
Who is called demagogue?
Definition of demagogue (Entry 1 of 2) 1 : a leader who makes use of popular prejudices and false claims and promises in order to gain power. 2 : a leader championing the cause of the common people in ancient times.
What does demagoguery mean?
Meaning of demagoguery in English the action of winning support by exciting the emotions of ordinary people rather than by having good or morally right ideas: They accused opponents of demagoguery.
What does Demagoging mean?
dem·a·gogue also dem·a·gog (dĕm′ə-gôg′, -gŏg′) n. 1. A leader who obtains power by means of impassioned appeals to the emotions and prejudices of the populace.
What is the opposite of demagogue?
Opposite of a person who intentionally instigates or incites trouble or mischief. peacemaker. placater. conciliator. pacifist.
What part of speech is demagogue?
DEMAGOGUE (noun) definition and synonyms | Macmillan Dictionary.
What is the definition of a demagogue quizlet?
Demagogue. A political leader who seeks support by appealing to popular desires be prejudices.
What pedagogue means?
teacher, schoolmasterDefinition of pedagogue : teacher, schoolmaster especially : a dull, formal, or pedantic teacher. Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More About pedagogue.
What is the definition of a demagogue quizlet?
Demagogue. A political leader who seeks support by appealing to popular desires be prejudices.
What Greek word literally means leader of the people?
demagogueThough the Greek root for demagogue literally means "a leader of the people," the word has for centuries had a negative connotation: it actually means a leader who has manipulated the emotions and prejudices of the rabble.
What is a panderer?
Legal Definition of panderer : one who engages in pandering — compare pimp, prostitute.
What defines a populist?
Populism refers to a range of political stances that emphasize the idea of "the people" and often juxtapose this group against "the elite". It is frequently associated with anti-establishment and anti-political sentiment.
What does "demagogue" mean?
A demagogue, in the strict signification of the word, is a 'leader of the rabble'. — James Fenimore Cooper, "On Demagogues" (1838) The word demagogue, originally meaning a leader of the common people, was first coined in ancient Greece with no negative connotation, but eventually came to mean a troublesome kind of leader who occasionally arose in ...
Who were the demagogues?
Often considered the first demagogue, Cleon of Athens is remembered mainly for the brutality of his rule and his near destruction of Athenian democracy, resulting from his "common-man" appeal to disregard the moderate customs of the aristocratic elite. Modern demagogues include Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Huey Long, Father Coughlin, and Joseph McCarthy, all of whom built mass followings the same way that Cleon did: by exciting the passions of the mob against the moderate, thoughtful customs of the aristocratic elites of their times. All, ancient and modern, meet Cooper's four criteria above: claiming to represent the common people, inciting intense passions among them, exploiting those reactions to take power, and breaking or at least threatening established rules of political conduct, though each in different ways.
What are demagogic promises?
Another fundamental demagogic technique is making promises only for their emotional effect on audiences, without regard for how they might be accomplished or without intending to honor them once in office. Demagogues express these empty promises simply and theatrically, but remain extremely hazy about how they will achieve them because usually they are impossible. For example, Huey Long promised that if he were elected president, every family would have a home, an automobile, a radio, and $2,000 yearly. He was vague about how he would make that happen, but people still joined his Share-the-Wealth clubs. Another kind of empty demagogic promise is to make everyone wealthy or "solve all the problems". The Polish demagogue Stanisław Tymiński, running as an unknown "maverick" on the basis of his prior success as a businessman in Canada, promised "immediate prosperity"—exploiting the economic difficulties of laborers, especially miners and steelworkers. Tymiński forced a runoff in the 1990 presidential election, nearly defeating Lech Wałęsa.
Why do demagogues violate decorum?
Many demagogues violate standards of decorum outrageously, to show clearly that they are thumbing their noses at the established order and the genteel ways of the upper class, or simply because they enjoy the attention that it brings. The common people might find the demagogue disgusting, but the demagogue can use the upper class's contempt for him to show that he won't be shamed or intimidated by the powerful.
Why is Cleon considered a demagogue?
The Athenian leader Cleon is known as a notorious demagogue mainly because of three events described in the writings of Thucydides and Aristophanes.
How did the Demagogic Oratory help the demagogues?
The demagogues' charisma and emotional oratory many times enabled them to win elections despite opposition from the press. The news media informs voters, and often the information is damaging to demagogues. Demagogic oratory distracts, entertains, and enthralls, steering followers' attention away from the demagogue's usual history of lies, abuses of power, and broken promises. The advent of radio enabled many 20th-century demagogues' skill with the spoken word to drown out the written word of newspapers.
What is the difference between a statesman and a demagogue?
A real demagogue uses these tactics without restraint; a statesman, only to avert greater harm to the nation. In contrast to a demagogue, a statesman's ordinary rhetoric seeks "to calm rather than excite, to conciliate rather than divide, and to instruct rather than flatter.".
Definition of demagogue
Other Words from demagogue Synonyms Did you know? Example Sentences Learn More About demagogue
Did you know?
When the ancient Greeks used dēmagōgos (from dēmos, meaning "people," and agein, "to lead") they meant someone good—a leader who used outstanding oratorical skills to further the interests of the common people. But alas, the word took a negative turn, suggesting one who uses powers of persuasion to sway and mislead.
Examples of demagogue in a Sentence
Noun Like other good Whigs, they had assumed that the people, once free of English influence, would honor and elevate the country's true patriots and natural aristocracy in ways that the English Crown had not.
What is a demagogue?
A politician who seeks to win and hold office by appeals to mass prejudice. Demagogues often use lies and distortion. ( See Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin .) The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
What does "demagogue" mean?
a person, especially an orator or political leader, who gains power and popularity by arousing the emotions, passions, and prejudices of the people. (in ancient times) a leader of the people. verb (used with object), dem·a·gogued, dem·a·gogu·ing. to treat or manipulate (a political issue) in the manner of a demagogue;
Do politicians see more upside in demagogue?
No wonder so many politicians see more upside in demagogue - ing the issue than dealing with it.
What are demagogues drawn to?
Young people in particular have been drawn to charismatic leaders of "isms" like cults, radical ideologies or even to violent militant organizations like ISIL.
What does it feel like to be a demagogue?
Those most susceptible to the persuasive skills of demagogues often feel like “have-nots,” deprived and resentful at those who are more fortunate, particularly among the educated, wealthy and governing classes.
Why do demagogues rail against threats?
Demagogues rail against imminent threats inside and outside their countries from enemies they blame for causing the national misfortunes. People are swayed to join their fiery campaigns against the “knaves and fools” who caused their own and societies' travails.
What does it mean when a demagogue is strident?
Demagogues’ strident opinions engender dark feelings like fear and anger in their followers, who are especially vulnerable during times of personal or social turmoil, or when they feel that they and their families are threatened.
How do admirers feel after being demagogue?
I cannot stress enough, however, that once committed to the demagogue, the vehement admirers feel better internally about themselves and their personal worlds. Their alienation and demoralization dissipate; their moods improve, they feel more optimistic and even that they are thinking more clearly.
Who warned that demagogues would disappear?
In his seminal book, "The Paranoid Style in American Politics ," Richard Hofstader warned that demagogues eventually disappear, but the harm they do to citizens and society is often severe. (For fictional yet prescient depictions of America living under fascism, you could read Sinclair Lewis's "It Can't Happen Here" or Philip Roth's "The Plot Against America").
When passionate speeches promise to rid their country of enemies and simple solutions to their miseries, they are captivated and?
When passionate speeches promise to rid their country of enemies and simple solutions to their miseries, they are captivated and swayed. They believe the rhetoric, angry juices flow and passions are inflamed.
What is the demagogue in Greece?
And despite its anodyne etymology, it almost instantly took on a negative connotation: In Greece, the demagogue was not just a leader of people, but a leader who led, specifically, by bullying/cajoling/converting charisma into influence. He was a populist who appealed, in particular, to the lower classes. As Aristotle wrote of Cleon, ...
What did Aristotle call the demagogues?
Aristotle described Cleon and his fellow platform-shouters as “gadflies,” which captured not just how annoying he found them to be, but also how destructive: When large animals are pestered into a frenzy, one thing that can result is a stampede that sends them, collectively, over a cliff. For Aristotle, demagogues—people who used democracy, he felt, against itself—were potential threats to the political system he and his fellow democracy-designers were trying to build. “Revolutions in democracies,” he declared, “are generally caused by the intemperance of demagogues.”
How did demagogues undermine the stability of a “by the people” form of government?
Demagogues undermine the stability of a “by the people” form of government particularly by turning “the people” against each other.
Is demagoguery threatening?
That muddled sense of demagoguery—extremity that is threatening both despite and because of its vagueness—continues today. (This despite efforts among academics to classify demagogues: Type I, Type II, and so on.) And it is enabled not just by TV and Twitter and a cultural environment that converts human charisma into mass media, but by our political system itself. As Michael Signer notes in Demagogue: The Fight to Save America From Its Own Worst Enemies: “Democracy—and any other system with an element of democracy—intrinsically creates an opening for a demagogue.”
Is the term "demagogue" anglicized?
But while the word proved its utility as both a political description and an epithet, it also, thus anglicized, lost some of the Aristotelian certainty that had defined it in earlier ages. Latham’s A Dictionary of the English Language, a re-print of Doctor Johnson’s sweeping version from 1755, defines “demagogue” as “ringleader of the rabble” but also, secondarily, as a “popular and factious orator.” A New Dictionary of the English Language, published in 1867, lists “demagogue” as “a leader of the people,” but goes on to suggest that the term is “applied to a factious or seditious leader.” Trollope, in his 1855 novel The Warden, demurred: “Now I will not say that the archdeacon is strictly correct in stigmatizing John Bold as a demagogue, for I hardly know how extreme must be a man’s opinions before he can be justly so called.”
Who said "Now I will not say that the archdeacon is strictly correct in stigmatizing John Bold?
Trollope , in his 1855 novel The Warden, demurred: “Now I will not say that the archdeacon is strictly correct in stigmatizing John Bold as a demagogue, for I hardly know how extreme must be a man’s opinions before he can be justly so called.”.
Who was the philosopher who argued for the monarchy?
But its philosopher’s fear of demagogues, and of the vague threat they suggested of revolution from within, extended into the modern world. It is Charles I , arguing (unsuccessfully) for the monarchy and for his life in Eikon Basilike, who is generally credited with re-introducing the term into English.
Overview
A demagogue /ˈdɛməɡɒɡ/ (from Greek δημαγωγός, a popular leader, a leader of a mob, from δῆμος, people, populace, the commons + ἀγωγός leading, leader) or rabble-rouser is a political leader in a democracy who gains popularity by arousing the common people against elites, especially through oratory that whips up the passions of crowds, appealing to emotion by scapegoating out-groups, e…
History and definition of the word
A demagogue, in the strict signification of the word, is a 'leader of the rabble'.— James Fenimore Cooper, "On Demagogues" (1838)
The word demagogue, originally meaning a leader of the common people, was first coined in ancient Greece with no negative connotation, but eventually came to mean a troublesome kind of leader who occasionally arose in Athenian democracy. Even though democracy gave power to th…
The enduring character of demagogues
In every age the vilest specimens of human nature are to be found among demagogues.— Thomas Macaulay, The History of England from the Accession of James II (1849)
Demagogues have arisen in democracies from Athens to the present day. Though most demagogues have unique, colorful personalities, their psychological tactics have remained the same throughout history (see below). Often considered the first demagogue, Cleon of Athens is r…
Methods
Below are described a number of methods by which demagogues have manipulated and incited crowds throughout history. Not all demagogues use all of these methods, and no two demagogues use exactly the same methods to gain popularity and loyalty. Even ordinary politicians use some of these techniques from time to time; a politician who failed to stir emotions at all would have little hope of being elected. What these techniques have in common, …
Demagogues in power
The shortest way to ruin a country is to give power to demagogues.— Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Antiquities of Rome, VI (20 BC)
Once elected to executive office, most demagogues have moved quickly to expand their power, both de jure and de facto: by getting legislation passed to officially expand their authority, and by building up networks of corruption and informal pressure to ensure that their dictates are follow…
Famous historical demagogues
The Athenian leader Cleon is known as a notorious demagogue mainly because of three events described in the writings of Thucydides and Aristophanes.
First, after the failed revolt by the city of Mytilene, Cleon persuaded the Athenians to slaughter not just the Mytilenean prisoners, but every man in the city, and to sell their wives and children as slaves. The Athenians rescinded th…
See also
• Authoritarianism
• Big lie
• Charismatic authority
• Cleophon
• Cult of personality
Further reading
• Berend, Iván T. (2020). A Century of Populist Demagogues. Budapest; New York: Central European University Press. ISBN 978-9633863343. OCLC 1121286642. Eighteen European Portraits, 1918–2018
• Roberts-Miller, Patricia (2017). Demagoguery and Democracy. The Experiment. ISBN 978-1615194087. OCLC 999728644.