Analysis of information sources in references of the Wikipedia article "The Paranoid Style in American Politics" in English language version.
At one level, this isn't new. Conspiracy theorizing has been a part of American politics from the beginning. Richard Hofstadter published his famous essay 'The Paranoid Style in American Politics' back in 1964 and cited examples running back to the 18th century. Segregationists fighting civil rights routinely blamed 'outside agitators'—especially northern Jews—for African-American protests.
Centrist/Extremist Theory creates a Potemkin village where there is a marginalized lunatic fringe of extremists attacking idealized democracy upheld by a vital center of elites. This view logically then relies on government crackdowns to protect us from the zealots. Centrist/Extremist Theory hides the oppression and inequality institutionalized throughout US society; the frequent links between right-wing movements and economic and political elites; the complex mix of legitimate and illegitimate grievances underlying the paranoid-sounding conspiracism of right-wing populism; and the danger of increasing state repression.