Twilight of Democracy: The Failure of Politics and the Parting of Friends
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- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Anne Applebaum
- ISBN：0141991674
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Summary
From the United States and Britain to continental Europe and beyond， liberal democracy is under siege， while authoritarianism is on the rise。 In Twilight of Democracy， Anne Applebaum， an award-winning historian of Soviet atrocities who was one of the first American journalists to raise an alarm about antidemocratic trends in the West， explains the lure of nationalism and autocracy。 In this captivating essay， she contends that political systems with radically simple beliefs are inherently appealing， especially when they benefit the loyal to the exclusion of everyone else。
Despotic leaders do not rule alone; they rely on political allies， bureaucrats， and media figures to pave their way and support their rule。 The authoritarian and nationalist parties that have arisen within modern democracies offer new paths to wealth or power for their adherents。 Applebaum describes many of the new advocates of illiberalism in countries around the world， showing how they use conspiracy theory， political polarization， social media， and even nostalgia to change their societies。
Despotic leaders do not rule alone; they rely on political allies， bureaucrats， and media figures to pave their way and support their rule。 The authoritarian and nationalist parties that have arisen within modern democracies offer new paths to wealth or power for their adherents。 Applebaum describes many of the new advocates of illiberalism in countries around the world， showing how they use conspiracy theory， political polarization， social media， and even nostalgia to change their societies。
Reviews
Edgar
，
Much time spent on individuals
Erin
，
This is the kind of book that really makes you think and worry about how things are going on a very global scale。 It was a interesting look at historical parallels and how countries around the world are on a similar path。 Not really a beach read but a global look at what is going on。
Arturo
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El populismo， la demagogia， el nacionalismo， la intolerancia， las políticas identitarias （a las que habría que sumar la cultura de cancelación）， el fanatismo y otras amenazas para la democracia y los derechos humanos analizadas desde una perspectiva más personal que académica， pero que la hace más accesible a los lectores。 Así， el libro de Applebaum es una denuncia de una élite intiliberal y antidemocrática que cada día consigue más adeptos， ayudada por la desigualdad y la insatisfacción que ést El populismo， la demagogia， el nacionalismo， la intolerancia， las políticas identitarias （a las que habría que sumar la cultura de cancelación）， el fanatismo y otras amenazas para la democracia y los derechos humanos analizadas desde una perspectiva más personal que académica， pero que la hace más accesible a los lectores。 Así， el libro de Applebaum es una denuncia de una élite intiliberal y antidemocrática que cada día consigue más adeptos， ayudada por la desigualdad y la insatisfacción que ésta produce （y que muchos se niegan a ver）， y es también un escalofriante pero necesario llamado a la defensa de la democracia en tiempos en que cada día más gente se suma a cuestionarla。 Un libro de necesaria lectura para los tiempos que corren。 。。。more
Andrés Heredia
，
Con análisis de diferentes contextos históricos y diferentes pautas que podrían ser parte de un potencial autoritarismo en diferentes países que predican la democracia， la autora nos quiere hacer reflexionar sobre la posible decadencia de las políticas que tienen ciertos países occidentales y en qué puede afectar y mermar la libertad en un futuro。
M。A。 Stern
，
There’s a lot of good and bad parts to this book。First， the good: Applebaum has an insider’s perspective on the rise of the ethnonationalist right。 This enables her to paint an elaborate picture of how it arose within the right as a whole and she demonstrates plentiful insight into right-wing movements of the modern era。The bad: Applebaum lacks the sort of introspection I would hope for。 She takes for granted that the right-wing of the 1980’s and 1990’a was genuinely committed to liberal democra There’s a lot of good and bad parts to this book。First， the good: Applebaum has an insider’s perspective on the rise of the ethnonationalist right。 This enables her to paint an elaborate picture of how it arose within the right as a whole and she demonstrates plentiful insight into right-wing movements of the modern era。The bad: Applebaum lacks the sort of introspection I would hope for。 She takes for granted that the right-wing of the 1980’s and 1990’a was genuinely committed to liberal democracy and cosmopolitan values。 This comes off as almost naïve and really weakens her analysis as she does not consider the ways people like Reagan and Thatcher in fact paved the way for the more openly illiberal right to arise。 Furthermore she brings up left wing beliefs about things that she takes for granted are absurd-she does not try to refute left wing critiques of American exceptionalism when equating them to reactionaries’ writing off America as a sinful hellscape， instead taking for granted that they are ludicrous and baseless。 This GREATLY weakens her arguments。Overall there’s a lot of solid elements here， but I think Applebaum neglected to consider the possibility that her idealized liberal conservatism was always more of a narrative myth than reality and she hasn’t really engaged with the root causes of the right’s increasing authoritarian turn。 。。。more
Marcela
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3。5
Cory Scott
，
Honestly， I didn't think this was a particularly insightful book。 Not terrible， but added nothing new to the conversation， especially since the whole book is centered around the opinions of some of the most elite people in the world。 She completely fails to realize that today's authoritarian impulse has become completely untethered from the cynical elites flirted with proto-fascism for political gain and has now become a self- sustaining force all on it's own Honestly， I didn't think this was a particularly insightful book。 Not terrible， but added nothing new to the conversation， especially since the whole book is centered around the opinions of some of the most elite people in the world。 She completely fails to realize that today's authoritarian impulse has become completely untethered from the cynical elites flirted with proto-fascism for political gain and has now become a self- sustaining force all on it's own 。。。more
Jowita Mazurkiewicz
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2，5Nic szczególnie nowego， nic szczególnie błyskotliwego。 Dość mocno osadzona w bieżącej polityce i prywatnych znajomościach autorki， co może być atutem lub zarzutem。 Raczej nie potrzebowałam tego głosu。
Joe Silber
，
Another book on the looming threat to democracy in the form of authoritarianism， "Twilight of Democracy" is a bit odd in that it is part memoir， for lack of a better term。 Author and journalist Anne Applebaum， whose husband played a role in Polish politics， knew and was friendly with many European intellectuals， pundits， writers， and politicians。 She draws a striking contrast in their attitudes and opinions from the late 90s to today - many of them will no longer speak with her。 They once believ Another book on the looming threat to democracy in the form of authoritarianism， "Twilight of Democracy" is a bit odd in that it is part memoir， for lack of a better term。 Author and journalist Anne Applebaum， whose husband played a role in Polish politics， knew and was friendly with many European intellectuals， pundits， writers， and politicians。 She draws a striking contrast in their attitudes and opinions from the late 90s to today - many of them will no longer speak with her。 They once believed in small-d democracy - fair elections， free press， etc。 Yet many of them now support authoritarian parties or regimes， such as Hungary's Viktor Orban， Poland's Law and Justice， Spain's Vox party， and Donald Trump。 She asks the question， "Why？" She attempts to answer this question over the course of the book by looking at people and events in the past few decades in Hungary， Poland， the UK， the US， and Spain。 I have mixed feelings on the format of the book - Ms Applebaum directly inserts herself and her experiences into the text。 This both serves to emphasize the shockingness of the transformation of former idealists into cynical authoritarians， but it also seemed to give the book （which is relatively brief） the feel of an extended essay rather than a work of political science or history。 The book comes to no conclusions， or I should say， no solutions。 Instead， it attempts to convince you that democratic institutions are always vulnerable to authoritarianism。 Ms Applebaum explores several aspects of how authoritarianism can arise in modern times， both among the general public and among the elites whose acquiescence is needed: misinformation/disinformation on social media， nostalgia for the "former greatness" of a country， an intolerance of complexity and love of simplicity， a feeling of victimization or being "cheated" out of success， the idea that everyone cheats and is corrupt and so nothing matters。 Despite my issues with the format， I found Twilight of Democracy to be a very convincing and unsettling read。 Clear parallels between current events in the US and in Hungary and Poland （two Western countries much further down the authoritarianism slide） were easy to see， and very troubling。 。。。more
Stephanie
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This is a fascinating， yet frightening examination of the fragility of democracy and liberalism-as defined in a geopolitical sense （not as the American Left vs。 Right）。 Liberal in the belief of both democratic and republican （small "d" and "r"）， the belief in the free-market， apolitical courts， and a trust in international alliances reinforcing the democratic， liberal world view， post Cold War。 The author uses her familiarity with European， English， and American politics and history to demonstra This is a fascinating， yet frightening examination of the fragility of democracy and liberalism-as defined in a geopolitical sense （not as the American Left vs。 Right）。 Liberal in the belief of both democratic and republican （small "d" and "r"）， the belief in the free-market， apolitical courts， and a trust in international alliances reinforcing the democratic， liberal world view， post Cold War。 The author uses her familiarity with European， English， and American politics and history to demonstrate how rising nationalism， totalitarianism， and authoritarianism in Europe， especially in Hungary and Poland， as well as by Brexit， foreshadowed Trump's rise to power and the United State's increasing lean toward it's own authoritarianism。 Using examples such as the rise of Poland's right-wing Law and Justice party， and the conspiracies regarding the Smolensk plane crash， Victor Orban's ascension to near total power in Hungary with the assistance of anti-immigration rhetoric fueled by anti-Semitism （with the conspiratorial implication of George Soros）， and the nationalistic nostalgia powering the Brexit vote and rise of Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage in England， despite the cost to Britain as a whole， Applebaum reminds us of the American blindness to what was happening in Europe that foreshadowed and ran parallel to Trump's rise。 Along with the Polish and Hungarian examples， Applebaum's vast insight is demonstrated as she provides Greek， French， Spanish， and Italian examples of Western liberal frailty， where history shows authoritarianism nearly ruled the day， or where it's darkness threatens。Applebaum uses how her own politics， and those of her Polish husband， （most likely defined as center right/or in the United States establishment Republican） brought their careers to rise and fall， and shift， as well as how politics shaped their relationships and friendships。 How dramatically that people they knew were influenced by authoritarian or other movements， or how people made use of such movements to advance their careers or to gain power， whether their beliefs may or may not have transformed。When we examine how Trump advanced his nationalist agenda， including xenophobic， especially anti-Muslim rhetoric， made use of conspiracies such as Birtherism， Qnon， and most recently， The Big Lie， his disruption of and his denigration of American institutions like the courts， agencies， and schools， as well as his distrust and dislike of international， liberal， institutions， it is like a playbook from Hungary and Poland。 And people like Orbon， and Jacek Kurski， picked up pointers and ideas from men like Rupert Murdoch and Nigel Farage， influencing and co-opting each other as if in a race to totalitarianism （or to the bottom）。 She also writes bow innovations， from the printing press to the internet， have worked to advance free， liberal thought as well as provide a path towards authoritarianism， depending on how they are used。 She points to social media， with its emphasis on channeling emotional reactions， including anger and violence， as potentially very dangerous。 How algorithms can direct a person from a relatively tame content side such as against immigration， towards xenophobic content including anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim material， to potentially violent White supremist content。 Since the use of social media can be addictive， the potential for radicalization is there。 And Big Tech profits， as do many people pushing a potentially more sinister agenda， from advancing a political ideas to raising money for people or groups with supportive of certain ideas or policies。Applebaum uses her extensive knowledge and resources of European history and politics to provide commentary and philosophies from other researchers， historians， and politicians。 One interesting perspective comes from Karen Stenner， who argues that certain number of people have a "totalitarian predisposition"， ranging from a deep dislike of ambivalence， or lack of tolerance of disorder， towards a susceptibility towards authoritarian and totalitarian movements。 Where there are c！ear definitions and little to no debate is allowed。 Much insight builds on the work of Hannah Arendt， who was one of the first to critically examine authoritarianism。Applebaum ends with the pandemic， and its potential influence on politics， actions， and behavior。 Some countries may grow from this experience， creating political cooperation to aid strained economies and devastated healthcare systems。 Some groups may look at the failure of their governments and decide they need to build a new order， from the ground up。 Some countries， like Orbon's Hungary may use the devastation of the pandemic as a means to seize power， including making it illegal to criticize the response。 So Hungary looses the power of the press as a means to check power。 And once a power's gone it's very difficult to seize back from the hands of a dictator。 Applebaum's Twilight of Democracy developed from an article in The Atlantic titled: A Warning from Europe。 Europe and the United States are clearly at a stage of near and present danger， where are post-WWII ideals of democracy and liberalism are hanging in the balance。 。。。more
Frank O'connor
，
This is a persuasive book about the sources and tactics of authoritarian rule。 It presents a cogent， informed and worrying analysis of the spread of populism around the world。 I found the aspect of the argument that illustrates how failure in life can trigger authoritarian impulses to be most illuminating。
Steffy
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Excellent personal overview of the movement toward authoritarianism witnessed by the author in her work as a journalist is Poland， the UK， and America。 It is a call to arms against injustice， untruth， illiberality， and fear。 She spends some time investigating why people might veer toward extreme positions， only to half-determine that it is from an intolerance of nuanced thought and an ironic desire for unity and the stability it brings。
Andrej Virdzek
，
This book is very， very bad。It gives the illusion of explanation where no explanation is provided。 Reader is left in the same darkness in which he was when he started reading。 The only added information is， that Anne Applebaum was one of the "clerics" of the last 20 years or so in "Atlantic" politics。 It seems that she has completely forgotten what was happenening and therefore can only provide baseless and downright stupid explanations of the current state of our polities。 We need an analysis， This book is very， very bad。It gives the illusion of explanation where no explanation is provided。 Reader is left in the same darkness in which he was when he started reading。 The only added information is， that Anne Applebaum was one of the "clerics" of the last 20 years or so in "Atlantic" politics。 It seems that she has completely forgotten what was happenening and therefore can only provide baseless and downright stupid explanations of the current state of our polities。 We need an analysis， that will be based on the important events of the last 20 years， and on some data， then I think the book would be worth reading。https://slate。com/news-and-politics/2。。。 。。。more
Eduardo Arias
，
Enlightening， authoritative and powerful。 I enjoyed immensely Anne's research and own experiences into the reasons of the 'new wave' on nationalism which our societies are experiencing at this moment。 One of those books I could not put down until I finished reading it。 Enlightening， authoritative and powerful。 I enjoyed immensely Anne's research and own experiences into the reasons of the 'new wave' on nationalism which our societies are experiencing at this moment。 One of those books I could not put down until I finished reading it。 。。。more
Danheatherly
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Didn't read Didn't read 。。。more
Anna Hanson
，
Though the words are clear and completely understandable， this is not an “easy” read; Ms Applebaum traces the seductive lure of authoritarianism through various cultures， countries and eras， culminating with today’s worrisome trends。 Readers who care about democracy would do well to study her work and stay vigilant， prepared to counter those who would curtail the rights of the citizens in the name of security and “law and order”。
Keith Johnstone
，
An excellent book， so useful to get these insights from someone who has lived in several of the countries most impacted by the alt-right and with access to many of the players。 An alarming but important read， my only criticism is that the book is not longer and more in-depth in parts but perhaps time is needed before we can properly reflect on the ‘interesting times’ we are currently in
Jose Torroja Ribera
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Muy interesantes las opiniones de Applebaum sobre los diferentes populismos europeos y americano。Para tomar conciencia de que no hay nada que se pueda dar por garantizado。
Gill
，
I found the first part difficult， I didn't expect so much on Eastern European politics although it was very interesting。 I was more able to relate to the sections on British politics。 Overall a good read， with some important points to make。 Very much of its time， it will be interesting to see if the author updates or responds to in post-pandemic。 I found the first part difficult， I didn't expect so much on Eastern European politics although it was very interesting。 I was more able to relate to the sections on British politics。 Overall a good read， with some important points to make。 Very much of its time， it will be interesting to see if the author updates or responds to in post-pandemic。 。。。more
Tracy
，
This is an important book to read if you want to understand what is happening in the U。S today。
Selina
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Interesting anecdotes from inside liberal， democratic societies which split in half in the last century。 She makes some very compelling arguments！ “Authoritarianism appeals， simply， to people who cannot tolerate complexity: there is nothing intrinsically “left-wing” or “right-wing” about this instinct at all。 It is anti-pluralist。 It is suspicious of people with different ideas。 It is allergic to fierce debates。 Whether those who have it ultimately derive their politics from Marxism or nationali Interesting anecdotes from inside liberal， democratic societies which split in half in the last century。 She makes some very compelling arguments！ “Authoritarianism appeals， simply， to people who cannot tolerate complexity: there is nothing intrinsically “left-wing” or “right-wing” about this instinct at all。 It is anti-pluralist。 It is suspicious of people with different ideas。 It is allergic to fierce debates。 Whether those who have it ultimately derive their politics from Marxism or nationalism is irrelevant。 It is a frame of mind， not a set of ideas。” 。。。more
Tracy
，
A woman in my book club suggested that I read this and I'm glad that I did。 It works at answering why so many people seem to embrace authoritarianism and nationalism to the detriment of democracy。 One thing that really stuck with me was that some people have "authoritarian predisposition"， which is not the same thing as close-mindedness。 "It is better described as simple-mindedness: people are often attracted to authoritarian ideas because they are bothered by complexity。 They dislike divisivene A woman in my book club suggested that I read this and I'm glad that I did。 It works at answering why so many people seem to embrace authoritarianism and nationalism to the detriment of democracy。 One thing that really stuck with me was that some people have "authoritarian predisposition"， which is not the same thing as close-mindedness。 "It is better described as simple-mindedness: people are often attracted to authoritarian ideas because they are bothered by complexity。 They dislike divisiveness。 They prefer unity。 A sudden onslaught of diversity-diversity of opinions， diversity of experiences-therefore makes them angry。 They see solutions in new political language that makes them feel safer and more secure。"The book looks at Poland， Britain， Spain， and the US and identifies how different people have shifted towards authoritarianism over the last twenty years。 This is an eye opening book。 。。。more
Laurel
，
Disturbing book on history of our democracy and emphasis on how fragile it is。 There is a focus on the government in European nations which I had difficulty following because I am unfamiliar with many of the political movements and people discussed by the author。
Olga
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Anne Applebaum provides an overlook on the polarisation of political views in different countries， showing how it has been progressing。 Although the book does not provide a profound analysis on why it has been actually happening， it touches on important events， shows correlations between different situations and overall， is an informative and interesting read。 The narrative， criticised by some for name-dropping and “he said she said” stories， is unique and makes it seem more like a casual conver Anne Applebaum provides an overlook on the polarisation of political views in different countries， showing how it has been progressing。 Although the book does not provide a profound analysis on why it has been actually happening， it touches on important events， shows correlations between different situations and overall， is an informative and interesting read。 The narrative， criticised by some for name-dropping and “he said she said” stories， is unique and makes it seem more like a casual conversation with a friend on her experiences with the development of the political situation in many countries。 Simultaneously， the perspective Applebaum provides clearly shows that she is very well-versed in the world of politics and has experienced the results of the polarisation first-hand。 Overall， an informative and enjoyable read， great for getting insight about the transformation happening on the political scene。 。。。more
Michael G。 Cassidy
，
History is not a CertaintyThe uncertainty of the present is nothing new。 This book offers examples of the origins and dynamics of the present and offers a way to get through its chaos。
Catherine Woodman
，
Do not miss this book。 It is a compact 200 pages that meanders through out Europe looking at the current swing in the direction away from democracies and towards totalitarian regimes。 She starts off with her adopted country of Poland， where the process began a bit earlier and ther is less of a history of democracy deep within the culture。 What is deep in the culture is religious and reacil prejudice in general and antisemetism specifically。 The swing towards autocratic and also inexperienced gov Do not miss this book。 It is a compact 200 pages that meanders through out Europe looking at the current swing in the direction away from democracies and towards totalitarian regimes。 She starts off with her adopted country of Poland， where the process began a bit earlier and ther is less of a history of democracy deep within the culture。 What is deep in the culture is religious and reacil prejudice in general and antisemetism specifically。 The swing towards autocratic and also inexperienced government， while openly practicing cronyism is well known by now， but her story is intimate and compelling。 She is American， but living in Poland for 25 years as the wife of a former Poland defence and foreign minister and a Jew。 She then goes on to delineate fractures in democracy in Europe and of course in the United States as well， with the GOP openly resorting to voting restrictions， virtually admitting they cannot be assured of a win in a fair and open vote。 This is by no means a wake up call， but rather an assessment of a situation well in progress。 。。。more
Jeron Baker
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Would recommend if you like thinking/learning about how others think about politics。
Stefan
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More of an essay or an overstretched article than a book diving into an analysis of 'lure of authoritarianism'。 It's a nice text to get up to speed on how Polish and to lesser extend Hungarian and English political shift（ed） to nationalistic， nepotic and indeed authoritarian governments。 There is surprisingly little critique coming from Applebaum， rather acknowledgement that creatures unfit to govern managed to fill in the vacuum; threatening the democratic balance of powers （which is explained More of an essay or an overstretched article than a book diving into an analysis of 'lure of authoritarianism'。 It's a nice text to get up to speed on how Polish and to lesser extend Hungarian and English political shift（ed） to nationalistic， nepotic and indeed authoritarian governments。 There is surprisingly little critique coming from Applebaum， rather acknowledgement that creatures unfit to govern managed to fill in the vacuum; threatening the democratic balance of powers （which is explained as nothing new - almost expected， referring to kyklos （albeit I don't recall the actual term in the book））。 It's worth reading， especially as it's coming from the 'old right' and delivered in a rather calm manner。 Additionally， I perceive society compartmentalisation （enabled by new communication tools and catalysed by decline in quality of media communication） to be main driver behind recent political shifts。 Therefore， I'd say that we are missing on some self-reflection - after all both Applebaum and Sikorski played a significant role in shaping political landscape of Polish politics。 It's hard to claim their actions （or lack of these） was inconsequential， if you believe all the name-dropping and anecdotes being offered。 Anyhow， give it a go if you are into modern history， politics etc 。。。more
Jorge I。 Zuluaga
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Esclarecedor y al mismo tiempo perturbador。 Esta es la manera como se me ocurre resumir lo que este "ensayo largo" de la filósofa Anne Applebaum me dejo después de leerlo。Lo más impresionante fue ver reflejado en el libro muchos de los síntomas de los que hoy sufre， por ejemplo la sociedad colombiana durante el gobierno de la ultraderecha represiva de Iván Duque （escribo esta reseña en Junio de 2021）。 Todos los signos de un gobierno unipartidista con tendencia autoritaria están ahí。 La eliminaci Esclarecedor y al mismo tiempo perturbador。 Esta es la manera como se me ocurre resumir lo que este "ensayo largo" de la filósofa Anne Applebaum me dejo después de leerlo。Lo más impresionante fue ver reflejado en el libro muchos de los síntomas de los que hoy sufre， por ejemplo la sociedad colombiana durante el gobierno de la ultraderecha represiva de Iván Duque （escribo esta reseña en Junio de 2021）。 Todos los signos de un gobierno unipartidista con tendencia autoritaria están ahí。 La eliminación de la meritocracia para acceder a los cargos de más alta responsabilidad （Fiscal， Procurador， Ministro， etc。） y la elección de las personas menos capacitadas e inteligentes en esos cargos， siempre y cuando sean leales al partido de gobierno。 La manipulación de los medios de comunicación para favorecer el discurso oficial （p。e。 el caso de la Revista Semana y del canal RCN）。 La difusión de la doctrina del enemigo público （primero las guerrillas y ahora un opositor político con verdaderas opciones de llegar a la presidencia）。 La destrucción de la buena imagen de las instituciones democráticas （las cortes， los organismos de control e incluso la policía）。 La aparición de intelectuales venidos a menos （abogados， jueces， columnistas， políticos， etc。）， los clercs （como los llamara en 1927 Julien Benda， tal y como aprende uno en el libro）， que actúan como "esbirros intelectuales" del partido y que construyen， desde los medios y la "academia"， el soporte intelectual del autoritarismo unipartidista。 Todo， todo esta presente hoy en Colombia。 Una dictadura blanda como la llama la misma autora。 Lo más paradójico， como lo muestra la misma Applebaum es que el autoritarismo unipartidista （que creo es el concepto central del ensayo） nació con el Bolchevismo Ruso de la revolución de 1917。 Y es paradójico porque los que dicen ser los salvadores de los países del "poder creciente" de las doctrinas del autoritarismo de izquierda， desde los Nazis， hasta el trumpismo y el uribismo en Colombia， usan precisamente los "inventos" del comunismo para crear estas dictaduras blandas y minar la democracia。 En pocas frases ¿de qué trata el libro？。 El libro hace un recorrido pormenorizado de al menos 4 casos de surgimiento de partidos， grupos e incluso gobiernos autoritarios en los últimos 20 años en el mundo， de los cuáles la autora ha sido testigo directo。 En Polonia （su país adoptivo）， Hungría （el peor caso descrito en el libro）， Reino Unido （o Inglaterra para ser más precisos） y Estados Unidos。 Casos que muestran， al juicio de la autora， la tendencia en esa dirección que tiene la política en muchos lugares del planeta。¿Cuál es más o menos la estructura del libro？。 El libro se divide en 6 capítulos， de entre 30 y hasta 40 páginas cada uno， que cubren uno o varios de los casos de estudio analizados。 Entre la descripción de los casos， hay apartes generales muy interesantes y generales， pero en su mayoría hay que aguantarse una cantidad bastante pormenorizada de detalles de los personajes （periodistas， políticos， escritores， ella misma） y de sus relaciones。 Decime la verdad ¿qué es lo peor que tiene el libro？。 El libro es muy extenso en los detalles de los personajes y de algunos sitios muy ajenos a la mayoría de los lectores （por ejemplo la política interna Húngara）。 Si bien a la larga termina uno dándole la razón a la autora de que algunos de esos detalles son indispensables para demostrar su punto， a veces es agotador y difícil de seguir。 En pocas palabras， creo que al libro le sobran como 50 páginas de detalles （¡que no me vaya a leer la autora！）。 No hay entonces que desanimarse por ese exceso de detalles。 Al final las reflexiones y los mensaje del texto valen la pena su lectura completa （no es muy extenso tampoco）。¿Cuál es la mejor parte？。 Para mí， la mejor parte （de la que tome más notas） fue el capítulo llamado "Aluviones de falsedades" dedicado a la manera como los movimientos políticos de agenda autoritaria van construyendo， con la ayuda de los medios y hoy por hoy de las redes sociales， un discurso alternativo， plagado de falsedades， soportado por teorías conspiranoicas y que va erosionando el respeto por las instituciones democráticas; un discurso amplifica el terror al "enemigo público" y que finalmente permite que lleguen al poder quiénes minan las libertades y las mismas instituciones。 En síntesis， El ocaso de la democracia es un ensayo para comprender mejor el momento político que estamos viviendo en muchos países; también lo es para entender que no se trata solamente de la perversión de las redes sociales y las noticias falsas propagadas allí （como muchos hemos terminado creyendo）; no， el asenso del autoritarismo es algo más profundo y perturbador。 。。。more
Kevin Brennan
，