Transformations of Dutch Populism

This bachelor thesis deals with a strongly resonating topic, populism, specifically with its changes in the Netherlands, especially since the beginning of the millennium, as it was a turning point for populism there. Populism itself has more interpretations, so the first chapter of this thesis deals with its theoretical definition. The next part of the thesis is dedicated to the actors of Dutch populism, especially to Pim Fortuyn and Geert Wilders. Therefore, the chapters deal with the analysis of these politicians, their manifestations, ideologies, controversies and their subsequent comparison. The aim of this thesis is to find out and compare what these actors have in common, the emphasis is put on their political topics and manifestations. In addition to comparison, the aim of this work is to map the gradual success of populism in the Netherlands, which has been on the rise since 2002. The last part of the thesis deals with the impacts of populism on Dutch politics as such