Students of history know all the signs. They can identify historical parallels - the inevitable, timeless forces that drive political polarization, and ultimately the fracturing of society in democracies. Ray Dalio's Bridgewater lays out the archetype for populism, the underling conditions that fuel its rise, and typical sequence of events.... By and large, these populists took advantage of the confluence of several characteristics of the times: Weak economic conditions, which made people disillusioned with the current ruling parties. An uneven recovery in which the elite was seen as prospering while the common man was struggling. Political squabbling/ineffectual policy making, preventing the bold action people saw as necessary. A feeling among a country’s majority that foreigners, or those who didn’t share the same background/ethnicity/religion, were threatening their values and way of life Where populists achieved some measure of success, they wou...