Populism, historical discourse and foreign policy: The case of Poland's Law and Justice government

This article analyses how, in Poland, the populist political orientation of the ruling party (Law and Justice - PiS) has coloured the historical discourse of the government and has affected, in turn, its foreign policy and diplomatic relations. We argue that the historical discourse of the PiS government is a reflection of the party's reliance on populism as a political mode of articulation in that it seeks to promote a Manichean, dichotomic and totalizing re-definition of the categories of victim, hero and perpetrator - and of Poland's roles in this trinity. The article details the direct and indirect repercussions of PiS populist-inspired historical posture on Poland's foreign policy by analysing its policies towards - and relations with - Ukraine and Germany. As such, the article sheds light on the under-explored links between populism and historical memory and makes a contribution to the nascent scholarship on the foreign policy of populist governments.