Word of the day: demagoguery

History

Literally a demagogue is the leader of the people. In Athens, during the time of Ancient Greece, this was the name of a person who, thanks to oratorical talent and intelligence, enlisted the support of the masses and became their head.

By the end of the 5th century BC, with the advent of ochlocracy - a perverted form of democracy - the term acquired a negative connotation. In that period, unworthy people became demagogues, hiding behind state interests in order to achieve personal goals.

The word came to the Russian language in the 18th century from Greek, and in the dictionary of V. I. Dahl it was also fixed, retaining a negative connotation: "an extreme democrat seeking power in the name of the people, a secret troublemaker, a champion of anarchy, who wants to overthrow the order of government." And the concept of "demagoguery" was interpreted as "the rule of the power of the people, the mob in government, the rule of the people."

In the modern "Big Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language" by S. A. Kuznetsov, demagoguery means not supported by facts and polemically inclined messages or unsubstantiated eloquent reasoning in order to obtain personal gain. The word is often used in a political context, but is also found in literary works and colloquial speech.

Usage examples

"When he used the word 'democracy', he meant something akin to demagoguery, or mob power." Derek Johnston, A Brief History of Philosophy.
“Demagoguery is successful only in the mouth of a brilliant tribune. There is no temptation without a seducer. " Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt, Another Destiny.
"But then he focused on a political career, made his way to the consuls thanks to demagoguery and threats of military force." Bernard Lowe Montgomery, A Brief History of Military Battles.