Rechtspopulistische und faschistische Rhetorik: ein Vergleich

Abstract

"The relationship between fascism and right-wing populism is a complex one. Again and again, fascist rhetoric integrates populist elements such as the rhetorical figure of 'synecdoche' and the argumentation scheme named 'topos of the people' or - if the argumentation is fallacious - 'argumentum ad populum'. This article investigates both common features and differences between the two kinds of rhetoric. It explains in which sense fascist rhetoric is more radical than right-wing populist rhetoric, as it is the case with respect to the call for violence and the discursive construction of the enemy. It looks at the role of mass-communication and it discusses various forms of the phatic function of language, which plays an important role in fascist and right-wing populist rhetoric. On the whole, the text argues that neither fascist nor rightwing populist rhetoric can be seen as being internally homogeneous and unchanging. Rather, they are historically situated and change according to the political position from which they are articulated, e.g. from Opposition to government." (author's abstract)