L’Uomo Qualunque e il Movimento 5 Stelle: dal qualunquismo al populismo

The present essay offers a comparison between two anti-systemic parties/movements, the Common Man’s Front (UQ – Uomo Qualunque) and the Five Star Movement, present in Italy in two different periods of the nation’s history: the former was present in the immediate post-war period; the latter has emerged in recent years. This comparison reveals several things that could be further analysed regarding the transformation of Italian politics and society since 1945, together with several similarities and differences between the UQ and the 5SM. The similarities mainly concern the lack of legitimization of the Italian political system, the opposition to existing political forces and elites, to the permanent North vs South territorial divide, the characters of the two founders and leaders, and the innovative communications strategies introduced to the national political scene. The differences, on the other hand, concern above all the length of their respective political lives, the scale of their electoral successes, the institutionalization processes and access to power and government, and their relationship with the mass ideological political party (with its origins in the former case, and with its demise in the latter case).

Keywords: Common Man’s Front; Five Star Movement; Italy; Populism