How Democracies Die
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The urgent and influential guide to the forces that have undermined democracies across the globe—forces running rampant in the United States today—hailed as “a touchstone” (The New Yorker) that “comes at exactly the right moment” (The Washington Post)
“Comprehensive, enlightening, and terrifyingly timely.”—The New York Times Book Review (Editors’ Choice)
“[Levitsky and Ziblatt] expand the conversation beyond Trump and before him, to other countries and to the deep structure of American democracy and politics.”—Ezra Klein
WINNER OF THE GOLDSMITH BOOK PRIZE • SHORTLISTED FOR THE LIONEL GELBER PRIZE • A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The Washington Post, Time, Foreign Affairs, WBUR, Paste
Donald Trump’s presidency has raised a question that many of us never thought we’d be asking: Is our democracy in danger? Harvard professors Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt have spent more than twenty years studying the breakdown of democracies in Europe and Latin America, and they believe the answer is yes. Democracy no longer ends with a bang—in a revolution or military coup—but with a whimper: the slow, steady weakening of critical institutions, such as the judiciary and the press, and the gradual erosion of long-standing political norms. The good news is that there are several exit ramps on the road to authoritarianism. The bad news is that, by electing Trump, we have already passed the first one.
Drawing on decades of research and a wide range of historical and global examples, from 1930s Europe to contemporary Hungary, Turkey, and Venezuela, to the American South during Jim Crow, Levitsky and Ziblatt show how democracies die. Now the question is, can our democracy be saved?
Praise for How Democracies Die
“If you only read one book for the rest of the year, read How Democracies Die. . . .This is not a book for just Democrats or Republicans. It is a book for all Americans. It is nonpartisan. It is fact based. It is deeply rooted in history. . . . The best commentary on our politics, no contest.”—Michael Morrell, former Acting Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (via Twitter)
“A smart and deeply informed book about the ways in which democracy is being undermined in dozens of countries around the world, and in ways that are perfectly legal.”—Fareed Zakaria, CNN
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Community Reviews
Unsettling, to be sure. Obviously there’s a lot of resonance in this analysis of democratic erosion, even as things have gotten more extreme in the wake of Trump’s re-election. For a book with such devastating subject matter, it doesn’t lean into panic or hyperbole. Levitsky & Ziblatt provide provide measured examples drawn from a wide range of nations and histories. Most are powerfully illustrative, and collectively they shape a persuasive picture of how democracies falter—not through violent overthrow, but through the steady degradation of internal norms.
I came away with a clearer sense, not just of democracy’s fragility, but of the way that it is buttressed and supported from within. I must admit also, the book has shifted my sense of what effective political action looks like. I’m naturally inclined to support forceful, even radical action, but there’s a call to moderation here that I do find compelling.
It’s a thought-provoking book, not least because it resists despair. The authors don’t pretend the situation is good—but they do suggest that agency still exists, and even give some sense of its shape.
The book is insightful and informative, but more than half of the chapters focus exclusively on U.S. politics. Given that the authors are political scientists with expertise in Europe and South America, I expected a more global discussion, especially since as the authors have pointed out, democracy is in decline worldwide. While the insights provided are valuable, the emphasis on U.S. politics detracts from what could have been a more balanced exploration of global political issues.
Rating: 3.5/5
Rating: 3.5/5
People should probably read this. For me, it was really boring at the beginning. It set up a framework for analyzing American politics with 4 rules of waning democracy and lots of historical examples. But it didn't get to the main point of the book, the risk to American democracy, until the last third of the book. It really tests the patience of the most sympathetic reader.
It's not a partisan book, per se. When it finally gets to the American examples it cites Republican and Democratic sins against democracy. (You might notice though that the Republican examples are more numerous and extreme.) Instead, it focuses on our joint obligation to protect democracy by working in a healthy bipartisan way even when we don't agree on policy. However, the author fails to explain how we're supposed to maintain civility when one party is extremist, trying to steal democracy in such blatant, economically-disempowering, and racist ways. Literally, the world is being destroyed by human-caused climate change, and we're not supposed to speak or act like it's not apocalyptic, even though it's likely apocalyptic? I understand that civil rights were won by saintly forbearance in the face of harsh violent oppressors, but every time this happens lots of people literally die. And with broken healthcare in our country and the rise in climate disasters, the numbers of deaths are virtually unlimited.
The main solutions it offers are the Republicans getting control over its own party again, and liberals focusing on economic policy. Apparently, the Republican leadership has less control over its members than large donors (like the Koch brothers and the NRA) and Fox News. The author doesn't even talk about how Supreme Court rulings have made this virtually impossible. The main thing liberals can do is focus on economic policy and assisting the middle class again. We should focus on reducing income inequality and family policies to help everyone. Which we were already trying to do. Feeling... screwed.
It's not a partisan book, per se. When it finally gets to the American examples it cites Republican and Democratic sins against democracy. (You might notice though that the Republican examples are more numerous and extreme.) Instead, it focuses on our joint obligation to protect democracy by working in a healthy bipartisan way even when we don't agree on policy. However, the author fails to explain how we're supposed to maintain civility when one party is extremist, trying to steal democracy in such blatant, economically-disempowering, and racist ways. Literally, the world is being destroyed by human-caused climate change, and we're not supposed to speak or act like it's not apocalyptic, even though it's likely apocalyptic? I understand that civil rights were won by saintly forbearance in the face of harsh violent oppressors, but every time this happens lots of people literally die. And with broken healthcare in our country and the rise in climate disasters, the numbers of deaths are virtually unlimited.
The main solutions it offers are the Republicans getting control over its own party again, and liberals focusing on economic policy. Apparently, the Republican leadership has less control over its members than large donors (like the Koch brothers and the NRA) and Fox News. The author doesn't even talk about how Supreme Court rulings have made this virtually impossible. The main thing liberals can do is focus on economic policy and assisting the middle class again. We should focus on reducing income inequality and family policies to help everyone. Which we were already trying to do. Feeling... screwed.