How Democracies Die: What History Reveals About Our Future
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- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Steven Levitsky
- ISBN：0241381355
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Summary
How does a democracy die？
What can we do to save our own？
What lessons does history teach us？
In the 21st century democracy is threatened like never before。 Drawing insightful lessons from across history - from Pinochet's murderous Chilean regime to Erdogan's quiet dismantling in Turkey - Levitsky and Ziblatt explain why democracies fail， how leaders like Trump subvert them today and what each of us can do to protect our democratic rights。
（An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here。）
What can we do to save our own？
What lessons does history teach us？
In the 21st century democracy is threatened like never before。 Drawing insightful lessons from across history - from Pinochet's murderous Chilean regime to Erdogan's quiet dismantling in Turkey - Levitsky and Ziblatt explain why democracies fail， how leaders like Trump subvert them today and what each of us can do to protect our democratic rights。
（An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here。）
Reviews
Andrea Rissoni
，
Clear and objective presentation of the risk we all are subject when dealing with pollarization， radical thinking politicians and corruption governments。A mandatory reading for everyone。
Elizabeth
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The August 2021 selection for the University of Chicago Alumni and Friends Baltimore Book Club。
Ishan Rai
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“Ignorance is bliss” sure， not for long though。 We have taken democracy and rights for granted for far too long now not realizing that authority reeks of ambition， greed， and above all desire of continuation of that authority。 This book doesn’t describe what democracy is， it merely focuses on its current state and how to overcome this democratic recession all around the world。 The book seems legitimate and highly conversational coming from two Harvard professors and political scientists。 It majo “Ignorance is bliss” sure， not for long though。 We have taken democracy and rights for granted for far too long now not realizing that authority reeks of ambition， greed， and above all desire of continuation of that authority。 This book doesn’t describe what democracy is， it merely focuses on its current state and how to overcome this democratic recession all around the world。 The book seems legitimate and highly conversational coming from two Harvard professors and political scientists。 It majorly focuses on the process of how authoritarians come to power。 The book firstly describes the assault on democracy during the previous 2 centuries and how it is different from the present scenario; Military coups are practically nonexistent now and are replaced by a slow and torturous death of democracy ironically using its institutions （constitution， media， court houses。） It goes on to develop a litmus test for would-be authoritarians by studying the behavior of previous leaders turned dictators like Mussolini， Hitler， etc comprising of 4 individual tests。 Sadly many of our current world leaders test positive on all fronts。 It is not normal， only one previous American president tested positive [Richard Nixon] and the guy was put through the process of impeachment， we don’t expect such a scenario now。 This is not a sudden process but the result of a long-drawn-out process of not following unwritten rules of 1。 Mutual toleration 2。 Institutional forbearance。 The book describes how authoritarians have used security crises， nationalism， lies， and deceit， propaganda， etc to become the monsters they are。Most importantly the book discusses of hope and how the crises can be averted through a strong check system within parties， smoke rooms， mutual toleration between ideologies， and thought-through use of constitutional rights by leaders and coming together of different political parties having different ideologies if required for the sake of democracy。Remember Dante who said that the “The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crises”。 If this doesn’t scare you to read the book here’s a promotion from Daron Acemoglu “Anyone who is concerned about the future of democracy should read this book。 Anyone who is not concerned should definitely read it。” 。。。more
Margaret Wittke
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“Levitsky and Ziblatt show how democracies have collapsed elsewhere—not just through violent coups， but more commonly （and insidiously） through a gradual slide into authoritarianism。 。 。 。 How Democracies Die is a lucid and essential guide to what can happen here。”—The New York Times
Mackenzie L-r
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Seriously great book for a politics noob like me to understand exactly what the title says。 Levitsky explains how demagogues come to power。 He also explains what demagogues are。 If you have been as confused and concerned about the Trump era as me， this will help you wrap your head around how he rose to power， and how the US can recover。 Definitely goes more in depth to US politics than I probably thought i wanted to know， but manages to remain engaging
Ella Shepherd
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Man what trump did to Kathy Griffin was fucked up
Aaron Gomez
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The author's optimism is wonderful and I feel they make solid arguments but they are far to late。 There is no stopping 'Rome' from burning nor stopping the collapse of the American Experiment， what shape it will take before it's destroyed is unknown but whatever the promise of Democracy was has been gone for sometime now。 The author's optimism is wonderful and I feel they make solid arguments but they are far to late。 There is no stopping 'Rome' from burning nor stopping the collapse of the American Experiment， what shape it will take before it's destroyed is unknown but whatever the promise of Democracy was has been gone for sometime now。 。。。more
Maria Clara
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um filme de terror
Henrico Iturriet
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A análise da obra， no geral， consegue abarcar os conceitos teóricos da ciência política de modo simples até o meio da obra， mas com certeza é exclusivamente dedicada a pessoas que entendem sobre a historicidade dos Estados Unidos e da América Latina， mesmo que essa última não seja contemplada em sua realidade， no entanto， em comparação aos Estados Unidos， o que caracteriza o teor colonizador na teoria da modernidade e símbolo da democracia。 Contudo， eles demarcam as falhas do regime democrático A análise da obra， no geral， consegue abarcar os conceitos teóricos da ciência política de modo simples até o meio da obra， mas com certeza é exclusivamente dedicada a pessoas que entendem sobre a historicidade dos Estados Unidos e da América Latina， mesmo que essa última não seja contemplada em sua realidade， no entanto， em comparação aos Estados Unidos， o que caracteriza o teor colonizador na teoria da modernidade e símbolo da democracia。 Contudo， eles demarcam as falhas do regime democrático americano de forma concisa。 Infelizmente， achei a escrita já não muito acessível após os primeiros capítulos e o conteúdo se embola em setores de governos ditatoriais espalhados pelas páginas sem um tipo de progressão。 Definitivamente é uma obra necessária para entender o poder simbólico das regras de reservas institucionais e suas ramificações pouco debatidas， junto a um vasto repertório， é de suma uma obra importante para entender o que acontece no Brasil e auxilia a identificação do populismo。 。。。more
Brooke
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Excellent overview of political systems that have devolved into authoritarianism， dictatorship， and demagoguery， that directly addresses the concerns that many felt leading up to Trump's election and subsequent administration。 The four star review is simply because it is oh-so-slightly dated， as it was published before the end of Trump's term。 That said， while I don't think a staunch Trump supporter would listen/read to give this book a fair shake， the authors address the issues that led to the Excellent overview of political systems that have devolved into authoritarianism， dictatorship， and demagoguery， that directly addresses the concerns that many felt leading up to Trump's election and subsequent administration。 The four star review is simply because it is oh-so-slightly dated， as it was published before the end of Trump's term。 That said， while I don't think a staunch Trump supporter would listen/read to give this book a fair shake， the authors address the issues that led to the possibility of a Trump presidency， our deep polarization as a nation， and steps both parties could/should take to return to the mutual tolerance that existed between the Civil War and the Civil Rights era WITHOUT perpetuating the disenfranchisement of those who are not white， likely married， Protestant Americans。 。。。more
Meriam lahlou
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This book has some great historical references and a realistic way of explaining the American democracy。 I liked the realistic comparisons with some authoritarian regimes。 It confronts us to analyze deeply some aspects of our American democracy， especially during the Trump presidency。 It is an eye opener or a confirmation of political leaders' stratagems to gain power， often overlooking the country's good and needs。 This book has some great historical references and a realistic way of explaining the American democracy。 I liked the realistic comparisons with some authoritarian regimes。 It confronts us to analyze deeply some aspects of our American democracy， especially during the Trump presidency。 It is an eye opener or a confirmation of political leaders' stratagems to gain power， often overlooking the country's good and needs。 。。。more
Enrico
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The book is mostly about american democracy and other democracies are only used as examples to support the authors thoughts about the dying american democracy。 Overall the book seems pretty superficial， I expected more content that isn't obvious from 2 professors。 The book is mostly about american democracy and other democracies are only used as examples to support the authors thoughts about the dying american democracy。 Overall the book seems pretty superficial， I expected more content that isn't obvious from 2 professors。 。。。more
Doug Noakes
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A sober analysis of modern American politics。 If you are interested in the future of the USA， please read it。
Teresa Jensen
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Curious if the authors wrote a follow-up article in the few years since this was published。。。
Caleb Wursten
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The book lays out a framework for measuring a democracies slide into authoritarianism with fascinating historical evidence。 The focus shifts to the U。S。 under Trump as the book was written in 2017。 Between recent examples of the U。S。 ceasing go function and historical parallel the book is worth a read。 President Biden recommends it frequently for good reason。
Les McGuire
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Well-reasoned treatment of the fix we find our American democracy in today， and how we got here。 Really ought to be required reading for anyone interested in seeing to it that our “great experiment” continues to succeed！
S
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Brilliant。 Examines other countries descent to authoritarianism and compares to America， now and at points in the past。 It doesn’t focus solely on trump but of course it talks some about him。 A good balance of history， analysis and perspective， with a healthy dose of fear mongering。 Loved it
K。J。 Cartmell
，
This is an important book， and I encourage everyone to read it。 It's only 231 pages of text。 The last 100 pages are for the index and end notes。 While the title is alarmist， this is a measured， factual review of democracies around the world， some that strengthened their institutions and others that descended into authoritarianism。 Though written after the first year of the Trump administration， this book never felt dated。 It is easy to apply the authors' principles and theories to the last few y This is an important book， and I encourage everyone to read it。 It's only 231 pages of text。 The last 100 pages are for the index and end notes。 While the title is alarmist， this is a measured， factual review of democracies around the world， some that strengthened their institutions and others that descended into authoritarianism。 Though written after the first year of the Trump administration， this book never felt dated。 It is easy to apply the authors' principles and theories to the last few years。 It our hyper-partisan times， it would be easy to dismiss this book as leftist and anti-Republican。 Indeed， it is critical of the current Republican party。 However， the authors lay out a way for the GOP to reform or reconstitute itself into a conservative party that could win on the strength of their platform and candidates without resorting to voter suppression， gerrymandering or race-bating。 For a more complete vision of what is wrong with U。S。 politics and how to fix it， I recommend pairing this book with Jane Mayer's Dark Money and Robert Kuttner's Can Democracy Survive Global Capitalism。 。。。more
Aditya
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Goodreads not allowing me to give this book 0 stars is a sign of them not considering me as legitimate opposition and this mutual intolerance could spell our collective doom。It is very unfortunate that I read this book when I did。 This came right after I finished Against Empire by Michael Parenti， and my patience has run very thin for liberals and their posturing。 It is extremely telling that these Harvard professors only consider the establishment and the optics of it as democracy and not the a Goodreads not allowing me to give this book 0 stars is a sign of them not considering me as legitimate opposition and this mutual intolerance could spell our collective doom。It is very unfortunate that I read this book when I did。 This came right after I finished Against Empire by Michael Parenti， and my patience has run very thin for liberals and their posturing。 It is extremely telling that these Harvard professors only consider the establishment and the optics of it as democracy and not the actual institution of governance by the people。 If people make a decision as they are entitled to and elect a leader， it is a failing of democracy if this candidate hasn't been vetted by the establishment。 It is at this very foundation that we depart。Once the authors presuppose that it is the duty of the establishment to gatekeep democracy， they already give away the game。 All they want is a run of the mill neoliberal democracy with two sides essentially wanting the same thing， just with different branding。 And what they want is not to give power to the people but the continuation of the status quo so that they can go back to pretending that everything is normal。 This is the same fetishization of bipartisanship that you can see on the youtube comments to some of the older presidential debates。 A celebration of the two parties in a performance of unity back in the good old days， while for the rest of the world， nothing has fundamentally changed。But these are very typical liberal attitudes。 What especially incensed me was the comparisons with democracies across the world。 The constant equivalence between leftists like Castro and Chavez with fascists like Mussolini and Hitler is no less than what is to be expected from milquetoast liberals。 However， the talk of democracy failing in Chile being because of mutual intolerance between the two parties and not because of the usual American intervention that happens every time Latin America elects a socialist leader is mind-boggling。One of these professors is said to have studied Latin American democracies extensively too which leads me to either question what the legitimacy of what is taught in the USA about Latin America， or believe that the author is deliberately presenting this case in bad faith。 They used a few pages to cover Chile's democracy collapsing。 In all this， they had one cursory mention of the CIA backing the right wing party， and two lines dedicated to the military coup。 The rest of it was endless pontificating about how the parties distrusted each other and abused democracy to achieve their goals。 This pathetic， ham-fisted attempt to try and contextualise every democracy's failure in terms that are easily comprehensible to the American worldview is infuriating given the many instances when this empire has been directly involved in toppling democracies across the world。To then write a book about why things went wrong and to have the blame placed on third world countries being unable to uphold the system， and the people being misguided and voting in a dictator is just vile。 It is， comically enough， the real life version of the "Americans coming to your country， killing your people and the making a movie about how sad their soldiers felt doing it" meme。 It was probably a misplaced expectation of mine to think there would be a coherent critique of democracies and how they fail in this book。 If I was picking it up now I would have seen all the red flags in the blurb。 。。。more
Juan Moreno
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Eye opening
James Tytler
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Still timely and poingnent halfway through the first year of the Biden presidency， even if it was written in the shadown of Trump's。 This book makes a compelling argument that America is far from out of the woods， and must urgently seek to reinstate its lost norms of forbearance and toleration in politics and reduce polarisation。 Rather chillingly the examples of 'saving' democracy the book ends on are 1980s Chile and late 1940s Germany。 Unfortunately it seems to be in human nature not to be abl Still timely and poingnent halfway through the first year of the Biden presidency， even if it was written in the shadown of Trump's。 This book makes a compelling argument that America is far from out of the woods， and must urgently seek to reinstate its lost norms of forbearance and toleration in politics and reduce polarisation。 Rather chillingly the examples of 'saving' democracy the book ends on are 1980s Chile and late 1940s Germany。 Unfortunately it seems to be in human nature not to be able to take collective action to address a problem as serious as the errosion of democracy and unadessed and misdirected grievences from rising inequality until a crisis has already happened。 The same could be said of climate change， the other great spectre hanging over this turbulent century。 As the trend of democratic backsliding continues around the continues world let's hope that America can persever and finally create the first truly equitavble and inclusive racially diverse democracy。 The stakes have never been higher。 。。。more
Cassie
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Tomlinson due 5/18/22
deepak
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HOW DEMOCRACIES DIEBy Steven Levistky and Daniel ZiblattJune 2021 This book can be read as a guide to understand those reasons that cause sudden or gradual death of democracy in any country。 Though there is no mention of India as a case study， but the examples of many countries around the world that have faced erosion of democratic norms， it is not very difficult to understand the extent of democratic erosion that is taking place in the present-day India。 There are two ways in which democracies HOW DEMOCRACIES DIEBy Steven Levistky and Daniel ZiblattJune 2021 This book can be read as a guide to understand those reasons that cause sudden or gradual death of democracy in any country。 Though there is no mention of India as a case study， but the examples of many countries around the world that have faced erosion of democratic norms， it is not very difficult to understand the extent of democratic erosion that is taking place in the present-day India。 There are two ways in which democracies die: one， at the hand of men with guns。 This death is abrupt because it is the collapse caused by coup with the help of military。 Instances abound all over the world: Peru， Cuba， Pakistan and many more。 Second， democracy die at the hands of the elected leaders。 In this instance， the death is not abrupt but takes place gradually， eating surreptitiously into democratic setup。 Many a time， it looks in this case that all those measures that are supposedly taken for the sustenance of democracy finally wear away and corrode it。 Here too the historical examples abound。 The most striking is that of Hitler who came to power through democratic means but gradually weakened the system and became authoritarian。 There are four indicators that need to be kept in mind to see whether democracy is being taken for a ride: 1。tIf those in power are ignoring democratic rules with impunity and without any contrition， democracy is definitely under threat。2。tIf opponents of the government in power are not being tolerated or their legitimacy is not being tolerated， this is another indicator that the democracy in that country is being worn down deliberately。 3。t If those in power encourage violence and tolerates violence against those who stand in opposition to their way of functioning， this is definitely a sign to be watched out。 Those demagogues also use crises as an opportunity 4。tIf the civil liberties of those who oppose the establishment are curtailed with the help of legal machinery， the death of democracy in that country is sure to happen。 These indicators if applied to present day India， presents a dismal picture of democracy。 The book gives an excellent analogy to explain how democratically elected can slyly and clandestinely erode and cause the death of democracy。 In any game， for instance take football， there are certain rules and a referee to ensure observation of those rules。 In this case， referee is bought， blackmailed or pressurized to take the side of only one team i。e。， the government。 Now the observation of rules can be compromised because the referee can look the other way when it comes to the favored team。 The rules can be changed so as to suit this team。 This is exactly what happens in many countries where democracy is eaten into。 Vigilance department， Enforcement Department or CBI are used as the bought referees。Despite the detailed written constitution of the country， it has been seen that democracy has been taken for a ride and democratic setup has been used for vested interests by altering as and when it suits those in power。 The question is: then what are those conditions that ensure the sustenance of democracy？ It is clear that mere presence of a constitution is not enough; it is open to various interpretations that make it possible for its misuse or abuse。 The question is: even if constitution is not a foolproof guarantee for protecting democracy， then what are those means that have so far make it possible for democracy to continue in some countries like the USA？ There are two norms that safeguard democracy despite these being unwritten anywhere in constitution。 These two norms are followed because they have gained strength on account of their long tradition of their observation。 These two norms are:1。tRespect of opponents 2。tInstitutional forbearance。These are the two unwritten norms that have been followed by those countries where democracies have survived any attempt to erode it。 These are few quotes from the book: •tThis is how we tend to think of democracies dying: at the hands of men with guns…But there is another way to break a democracy…。 democracies may die at the hands not of generals but of elected leaders---presidents or prime ministers who subvert the very process that brought them to power…。There are no tanks in the streets。 Constitutions and other nominally democratic institutions remain in place。 Elected autocrats maintain a veneer of democracy while eviscerating its substance。 •tDemocracy’s erosion is， for many， almost imperceptible。 •tThis is how elected autocrats subvert democracy---packing and weaponizing the courts and other neutral agencies， buying off the media and private sector （or bullying them into silence）， and rewriting the rules of politics to tilt the playing field against opponents。 •tDemocracies work best and survive longer where constitutions are reinforced by unwritten democratic norms: mutual toleration and institutional forbearance。 。。。more
Cheryl Cameron
，
This is a very important book and the parallels that it draws to what is going on in the United States is eerie。 All students in high school government classes should be required to read this。
Oscar Quiroz
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Análisis profundo y claro de las caídas y tropiezos en la democracia moderna。 Aunque muy enfocado en el sistema estadounidense， es un buen punto de partida en cuestión de políticas internas y partidistas para evitar， desde una detección temprana， una crisis electoral y política de un país。
Dado
，
Livros extremamente importante para os dias atuais， fácil para começar a ler sobre política。 Pessoalmente achei q falou muito sobre a política dos Estados Unidos e por isso fica um pouco cansativo em alguns momentos。 Mas continua sendo um ótimo livro para entender melhor sobre quem são os possíveis líderes autoritários e antidemocráticos， como impedi-los e de quais maneiras eles destróem as democracias nos dias atuais
Jeremy
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An account of why democracies can come undone， with special reference to the impact of Donald Trump。 Published in 2018， Trump is gone and democracy in America survived， with the system's checks and balances having seen him off。 So the authors can relax for now！I found the analysis in this book somewhat superficial and facile; just because events happen in one country doesn't mean similar events in another country will lead to the same outcomes。 Context and history is also important。 And those on An account of why democracies can come undone， with special reference to the impact of Donald Trump。 Published in 2018， Trump is gone and democracy in America survived， with the system's checks and balances having seen him off。 So the authors can relax for now！I found the analysis in this book somewhat superficial and facile; just because events happen in one country doesn't mean similar events in another country will lead to the same outcomes。 Context and history is also important。 And those on the left in America need to seriously reflect on what it is about their side of politics that leads tens of millions of Americans to support a candidate as flawed as Trump。 It takes two to tango！ 。。。more
Ribhav Pande
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The title of the book is self-explanatory and I won’t be going into describing the book， except that it touches upon democracies in Latin America and Europe， apart from basically a detailed discussion on the US。 Aspects I didn't much like:I'd actually retitle this book to 'Democracy in the US: Where we are now， and what World History tells us about where we can be'。 I don't intend this to be a substitute title。 My point is that this book is mostly a detailed discussion about democracy under fire The title of the book is self-explanatory and I won’t be going into describing the book， except that it touches upon democracies in Latin America and Europe， apart from basically a detailed discussion on the US。 Aspects I didn't much like:I'd actually retitle this book to 'Democracy in the US: Where we are now， and what World History tells us about where we can be'。 I don't intend this to be a substitute title。 My point is that this book is mostly a detailed discussion about democracy under fire in the US under POTUS Trump。 Since， of course， he's been booted out。 The book at a point says that him going away is an unlikely scenario。 Well， not so。The book had so much potential to discuss India， or Brazil， and other democracies that are being discussed in alarmist terms across the world。 There is a brief mention of India， in that democracy is intact here。 That's ironic， given how India fares on the touchstone of the 'tests' the authors themselves laid down。 The excessively detailed focus on America pretty much made me lost interest at a point。 But my interest in specific details about the US really kept me going anyway。 Aspects I liked All that said， the book for about the first half makes for a really interesting read。 It discusses democracies across the world and how they've fared。 A premise initially was that demagogues are not popular， say Hitler and Mussolini。 But then the authors canvass arguments about how popular leaders like Chavez， or those in the US itself， took to power through democratic means。 This premise was confusing， and flawed。 So I'm going with most autocrats coming through democratic means are hella popular。'History doesn't repeat itself。 But it rhymes'。 Great quote。 Authors show how this works out。 4 tests are proposed to test authoritarian behaviour:1） Rejection of （or weak commitment to） democratic rules of the game2） Denial of the legitimacy of political opponents3） Toleration or encouragement of violence 4） Readiness to curtail civil liberties of opponents， including mediaThese tests are further detailed。 They appear to be a comprehensive list， and the authors flag that any ONE of these tendencies should be a red signal to democracies。 For a healthy democracy， the authors posit two essential requirements:A） Institutional Forbearance - This means that having the power to use institutions in a certain way doesn't mean that you should be using them that way。 Think 'with great power comes great responsibility'B） Mutual toleration- Polarisation to the extent of viewing the ideological opposition as an anathema and threat to the fabric of the nation is unsustainableThe authors make a crucial point: in modern democracies， political parties are the gatekeepers of democracy。 They must necessarily be the ones that keep the extremists and demagogues to the fringes， and not normalise or mainstream them by giving them legitimacy through their platform。 Partisan politics is always an easy path to agitate the electorate， polarise it and canvass votes for your agenda， but it's always incredibly dangerous。 Specifically for the US， the Electoral College was supposed to be that gatekeeper till political parties decided to bear heavy influence on it。 Then it was supposed to be the Presidential Primaries， which again the parties chose to make more independent by allowing the public to have a greater say in directly voting for their candidate。 This leaves the money machine and media blitz aspects， along with groundwork， that parties provide to its candidates。 This is still considered to be the aspect parties dominate when it comes to backing candidates。 The authors say that the parties must now act as gatekeepers， keeping extremists away。A historic note on the US was curious。 Democrats were the initial polarising forces， opposing black enfranchisement in the 1860s that led to the Civil War， which ended in 1865。 Since then， reconstruction ensued which saw mass registrations of black voters。 This threatened Democrats' electoral constituencies， and so from 1885-1908， all 11 post-Confederate states disenfranchised African Americans。 The 15th Amendment （'The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race， color， or previous condition of servitude。'） prohibited this， so they used race-neutral language。 'Mutual Toleration' in post-War US had to be established by giving up racial equality as an agenda entirely。 Ref: Compromise of 1877， where Republican Rutherford B。 Hayes was elevated to the presidency （after an election dispute） in exchange for promise to remove federal troops from the South。 This 'effectively ended Reconstruction'。 This changed with the passing of the Civil Rights Act， 1964 by Democratic President Lyndon Johnson （opposed by 1964 Republican Presidential Candidate Barry Goldwater） after which Democrats built their base with minorities and the Republicans through the later half of 1900s tried to consolidate the white working class and the Christian-Evangelical voter base。 => Mutual tolerance cannot be built in a manner which excludes basic human rights such as racial equality。 On some things， there must never be a compromise。 That's the authors' point。 Voter suppression through gerrymandering and absurd voter qualifications， of course， still persist in the US。 North Carolina throws up an example absolutely disgusting in any modern democracy。The authors also make a case for broad coalitions that end up saving democracy。 They cite Chile and post-WW2 Germany in this context。 Umbrella coalitions， even with ideological opposites， are necessary to establish a common moral ground that can be built upon。All in all an interesting read which I would recommend， especially if you're interested in US political history – lots of stuff to unpack there which I've kept outside the ambit of this review。 。。。more
Nick San Miguel
，
Democracies dying has sadly been a recurrent theme for me recently， but this one may be the best on the subject that I have read。 Sadly， things have only gotten worse since it was published but I really hope we heed this book’s lessons before it’s too late。
Ruta Mankeviciene
，