How Democracies Die

Narrated by:
Fred Sanders

Unabridged Audiobook

Ratings
Book
48
Narrator
6
Release Date
January 2018
Duration
8 hours 25 minutes
Summary
Two Harvard professors explain the dangerous world we face today

Democracies can die with a coup d'état - or they can die slowly. This happens most deceptively when in piecemeal fashion, with the election of an authoritarian leader, the abuse of governmental power and the complete repression of opposition. All three steps are being taken around the world - not least with the election of Donald Trump - and we must all understand how we can stop them.

In How Democracies Die, Harvard professors Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt draw insightful lessons from across history - from the rule of General Augusto Pinochet in Chile to the quiet undermining of Turkey's constitutional system by President Recip Erdogan - to shine a light on regime breakdown across the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Notably they point to the dangers of an authoritarian leader faced with a major crisis.

Based on years of research, they present a deep understanding of how and why democracies die; an alarming analysis of how democracy is being subverted today in the US and beyond; and a guide for maintaining and repairing a threatened democracy, for governments, political parties and individuals.

History doesn't repeat itself. But we can protect our democracy by learning its lessons, before it's too late.
Reviews
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David A

The book actually had some great information in certain areas and serves as another opinion on the status of the USA political and governmental system in 2017. The author has every right to address the issues as he sees them but his doom and gloom about all things Trump and almost as much the Republican Party was over the top. The political and governmental system that our nation has become is not a one party issue. The author reinforces the notion that the only way to get along is for the progressive agenda to win. The author pointed out many negatives about the right but neglected to point out the same issues on the left. The division in our nation is widening and our future is fading without real solutions to our problems. It is worth a read but only to see the blindness of others

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Matthew K.

The authors obviously have studied much history, but thought about it none. Unscholarly drivel. It's conclusion is that you must get in line with Progressive taking points, or you are the problem. They give a pretense of neutrality, but end up being part of the problem they are trying to analyze. They also list a bunch of statistically and causally insignificant examples, but that fit their narrative. Their 3 main criteria for democracies to perish are picked while excluding others, specifically to prove their own idiological narrative. You can just read the first 4 hours, and learn everything this book can teach. The narrator was excellent though.

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Patrick M.

Woodrow Wilson lives

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Miquel D.

A book with magnificent insights, entertaining with many historical references and easy to listen to for most parts.

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Tim T.

This book is an outstanding resource. I have listened to it completely three times through, and even bought the hard-copy in order to highlight its main talking points. It is well written, provides poignant and relevant examples of its key points as they occurred in American history, and relates them to current events and threats that have surfaced since the 2016 election. Hopefully, it is not too late...

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Francesco C

The book is of an intersting level of analysis but nothing particular

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