What History Reveals About Our Future - How Democracies Die

Is American democracy dying? This is the question that Harvard government professors Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt set out to answer in How Democracies Die. Drawing on decades of research in comparative politics around in Europe and Latin America, they review the conditions of today's fractured American polity with Donald Trump in the White House.
Four Indicators of Authoritarian Behavior
The principal contribution Levitsky and Ziblatt bring to their topic are the Four Indicators of Authoritarian Behavior that they use to analyze the conduct of any democratic regime. It's useful to cite them here:
1. Rejecting (or weakly committing to) democratic rules
2. Denying the legitimacy of political opponents
3. Tolerating or encouraging violence
4. Demonstrating readiness to curtail civil liberties of opponents, including the news media.
Unfortunately, the authors assert, Trump fails on all four measures on their litmus test for anti-democratic behavior. Only Richard Nixon, of all the men and women nominated for the presidency by a major party in the 20th and 21st centuries has failed on even one of the four points. So, if you're worried whether American democracy is dying, you have reason to be.
The most likely, post-Trump future
Levitsky and Ziblatt's conclusions are equivocal but sobering. They see three possible scenarios in the years following Trump's presidency. "The first, and most optimistic, is a swift democratic recovery. . . A second, much darker future is one in which President Trump and the Republicans continue to win with a white nationalist appeal . . . The third, and in our view, the most likely, post-Trump future is one marked by [increased] polarization, more departures from unwritten political conventions [i.e., customs and procedures], and increasing institutional warfare-in other words democracy without guardrails."
Democracy without guardrails
Guardrails is the metaphor the two professors employ throughout their book. The word refers to the unwritten laws that have almost always restrained Trump's predecessors in the Oval Office, following a pattern consciously laid down by George Washington at the outset of the republic. Of course, there have been departures from the norm: Abraham Lincoln suspending the writ of habeas corpus during the Civil War, Franklin Roosevelt attempting to pack the Supreme Court and running for third and fourth terms, and Richard Nixon's illegal wiretapping. However, with these and a few other notable exceptions, presidents have generally restrained themselves from using the full powers available to them against those they perceive as enemies. Similarly, until recently, Congress had shown similar restraint.
Is American democracy dying?
Not until the closing days of the 2oth century have we witnessed a dramatic increase in what can only be termed abuse of historical norms. The pattern is far and away most egregious because of the actions of the Trump White House. But, as the authors make clear, there have been precedents aplenty, especially beginning with the scorched-earth tactics Newt Gingrich engineered to achieve a Republican majority in the House in 1994, continuing with the explosion of right-wing media that constantly urges Republican politicians to take the gloves off, the brinksmanship over the debt limit and the budget, the increasingly frequent use of the filibuster by both Republicans and Democrats to frustrate presidents of the opposing party, and the blatant use of voter suppression and gerrymandering in red states. Donald Trump's attacks on the press, tolerance of white nationalism, and almost daily lies simply represent the fullest expression of these trends. Is American democracy dying? Has the trend been underway for three decades? You be the judge.
What is to be done?
To forestall the grim scenarios they foresee for America's future, Levitsky and Ziblatt recommend that centrist and liberal forces enter into coalition with their political enemies. "A political movement that brings together-even if temporarily-Bernie Sanders supporters and businesspeople, evangelicals and secular feminists, and small-town Republicans and urban Black Lives Matter supporters, will open channels of communication across the vast chasm that has emerged between our country's two main partisan camps." They point to successful efforts along these lines in such countries as Austria and Colombia. Can you imagine such a thing in today's overheated, deeply polarized political environment in the United States? I can't. Apparently, the two professors have had little if any practical political experience. Attractive as such an approach might appear in theory, it's a non-starter. To my mind, the only possible remedy for the current Republican shift to the far right is a sharp swing of the pendulum in the opposite direction.

Democracy has been in retreat in our country and you may not be aware of it if you rely on TV news and their pundits. Let this book help you understand the dangers of ignoring the downward spiral that is underway to destroy our democracy.

While this was written mainly for the American audience, the message resonates even with us in the Philippines who are currently under a populist President. I enjoyed the book and purchased eight copies to share with friends!

This book does three main things. First, it examines the inherent weaknesses of democracies and the ways these have been exploited by autocrats (for example by attacking the press). Second, it looks at challenges to American democracy from the country's founding until now, and at the formal and informal "guardrails" that have been developed to preserve it. Trump is seen as a symptom of the deterioration over the past 25 years of the guardrails and of the rise in partisanship. Finally, and maybe too briefly, the author discusses how little-d democrats, those who defend democracy, should react to the autocratic drift without making it worse. Very informative though, of course, Trump supporters for the most part will oppose it.

This is a must read for political junkies. Fascinating insight into the fall of democracies and the rise of totalitarian regimes throughout recent history. That said, it definitely has a tendency to feel as if the authors are identifying traits displayed by Trump and making a conclusive determination that these traits are the precursor to an autocracy. Which may yet prove to be the case, but such a firm conclusion at this stage seems premature. I don't fault them for making their case, though, that these are possible indicators and we need to be vigilant to guard against the failures of past democracies that have fallen.

In any case, this will be an enjoyable read for anyone who's interested in politics and history, especially world history and the history of conflicts. It's a good refresher from what you may (or may not) have learned in high school or college.

An uncomfortable read especially given today's political climate and current occupant of the White House.

Levitsky and Ziblatt explore how modern democracies aren't overthrown by violent coups, but by the steady errosion of norms and institutions. Bringing together historical insights and modern examples, the authors show that democracy is incredibly fragile. Authoritarians take advantage of a key vulnerability of many democracies: just how little of it is based on laws. Sure democracies have constitutions, but much of what makes a democracy thrive are unwritten rules, norms, and procedures.

One thing I found fascinating is the racial exclusion component of the political stability from Reconstruction to the 1980s. By ignoring racial injustice and full democratization, we had partisan civility and cooperation.

Authoritarians and those with authoritarian impulses (like Trump) take advantage of major political partisanship and use their power to undermine checks on that power. Weaving together history and today, the authors demonstrate that there is cause for worry when comparing Trump and a complicit Republican party to other countries with declining democracies.

Trump checks off the four indicators of authoritarian behavior:

1. Trump rejects or is weakly committed to the democratic rules of the game
2. He has denied the legitamacy of political opponents
3. He has tolerated or encouraged violence
4. He has demonstrated a readiness to the curtail civil liberties of opponents, especially the media

Our democracy is in danger. Congressional Republicans have often refused to be a proper check on the President. History doesn't repeat itself, but it often rhymes, and the authors have provided a strong case that we all must work at protecting and supporting our weakening democracy.

With the background and extensive research of these two authors we have an important book on the dangers of losing a democracy and how our country is perilously close to that situation. In my opinion it is important enough that it should be required reading in every elementary school as our students are not being taught the importance of a free society and how to maintain it.

I found this book perfect for the times by helping me to understand exactly what is happening in America today and how we git here it is frightening at times when we realize how close to the abyss we have come. I highly 're commend persons, regardless of political persuasion to keep an open mind and read this book. Through mutual tolerance and understanding, we still have a chance to save our democracy.

America’s democracy is being sorely tested by Donald Trump. He is the latest chapter in polarization along racial and religious lines. According to the authors a century of comity began with the compromise of 1877. This racial exclusion bought peace between Republicans and Democrats. The civil rights rebirth of the 1960’s brought this period to an end. Not much weight is placed on economic class warfare and the ascent of plutocracy.

Lots of lurking danger. Much blame placed on Republican Party for failing to act as a gatekeeper and normalizing Donald Trump.

Extremely important reading. Dispells myths about how democracies die and instead shows that we are in that process NOW. They die in small increments and then there's a sudden final fall. They die from within, from division and creeping weakness in the structures and foundations of democracy. They fall from being divided by people like Trump who are there for the purpose of dividing us. It's one of the most important books of our time. Read this to understand what's really going on in this country before it's too late!

A great study of the degradation of democracies around the world in the past many decades and how it can happen here. It doesn’t have to involve a military coup or a revolution but can often be much more subtle. The authors are concerned about what is happening in our country today as many of us are, but I appreciated their cautious optimism in the last chapters.

This book was clearly written out of concern that the Trump administration could tip our fragile democracy into outright autocracy. If that is not a concern for you, or if you dismiss such concerns as "fake news," you probably should not bother. But the authors' examination of how previous democracies slipped or were thrust into oligarchies or outright dictatorships identifies some common characteristics that should concern anyone who truly cares for this country. Although I am a highly educated person, there was a lot of historical information that was either new to me, or caused me to reconsider it in a different perspective.
Reminder: Hitler, Mussolini, Erdogan and other dictators or autocrats were elected, almost always with a minority of the vote (the first time, at least). Putin is about to be "re-elected" by a sweeping majority. Xi Jinping is about to become president for life, as China abolishes term limits. Trump suggests -- "jokingly" of course -- that he thinks that "maybe we should try that."
What these and other dictatorships have in common, and how they arose from democracies, is the subject of this book. Even if you firmly believe "It Can't Happen Here" (the title of a 1930s novel in which it does happen in the U.S.), you should find it an interesting historical study.

This is a thoroughly researched book with lots of examples on the topic, which serves as a warning without being alarmist.
It would be tempting at this point suggest that all roads have led to Trump, but in the universe of demagogues he is still a relatively minor example seen against the governments of people like Hitler, Staling Pol Pot and yes, Putin, and on that score has not (yet) consolidated his regime and may in fact missed the timing necessary to pull that off in the USA.
The important thing in this book is the clear delineations of patterns that serve as antidemocratic warning signs, disinformation, emphasis on a strong military, fixed elections, xenophobia, blaming ethnic and religious groups for the country's problems, use of financial and political division and different sets of legal standards depending on wealth or the lack of it.
Forewarned is forearmed.

Whether u are disturbed by the political climate, or angry at anyone u see fostering it, this book is a must read. Left and right need to think about these points. Skip a few hours of YouTube or Facebook. It will be time well spent.

This book gives important historical context for the crisis in American government in 2018. In some ways our democracy is under serious threat from Donald Trump, though in some strange ways it leaves me optimistic. Though he clearly has authoritarian intentions and views, the American system has held up surprisingly well so far against his efforts to destroy democracy. Even though the title sounds depressing and parts of the book are, this work left me armed with ways to see the undermining of free society and some ideas about how to fight it. This is well worth your time.

This text provides context for our nagging thoughts these past few years. It is painfully obvious what is in store for our country if we don't start to really care about the processes behind our democracy. T

Excellent book. This book is full of insights as to ways to avoid the breakdown of democracy and ways to restore it. I think that this book would benefit from a more detailed explanation of the ethos of democracy, the destructive role of rogue banks and private sector cronyism in enabling autocrats at the expense of transparency, rule of law and equal dignity for all, and more emphasis on economic liberty. I recommend this book to political science students and to anyone who has an interest in preserving and enhancing democracy.I give it five stars because it is the best treatise on this subject up to now.

Timely and comprehensive, a book with valuable comparisons to other democracies that began with inspiration from the US example but took different paths. The unique challenge we face to remain a democratic and yet multi-ethnic society is clearly presented.

So many insights!
I appreciated the history of so many democracies that failed. So instructive.
The real helpful hopeful takeaway was last chapter. Dead democracies have returned to health. So encouraging.
Thx for this book.

Very timely and important book, which every American should attempt to read. The time we live in, and the hyper nationalism and tribalism
is very well laid out, beginning with the long history of such time’s in Europe, etc. THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT BOOK.

Drawing from both current and historical examples, this book is an exploration of the dangers to a constitutional democracy when a proto-autocrat is elected president. The authors also explore the roots of partisanship that paved the way to Trump's election and how our country might find its way back from the brink. Required reading for all Americans.

A truly frightening book that shows how America is following in the footsteps of other countries that have given up democracy for authoritarianism: countries like Hungary (now), Chile under Pinochet, Turkey (now), Germany in the 1930s, and Italy in the 1920s. The authors set forth four indications of danger: 1) rejection of democratic rules of the game, 2) denial of the legitimacy of political opponents, 3) toleration or encouragement of violence, and 4) readiness to curtail civil liberties of opponents, including media. Instances of all four have been increasing for a generation, but under Trump they are becoming SOP for the Executive Branch. How Democracies Die is a (figurative) call to arms for those who believe in American democracy.

America's democracy has a stronger social basis than other democracies: While these two liberal minded Harvard professors have "fleshed out"
how our American democratic system " really works" in outlining many unwritten rules and observances in keeping our democracy moving along,
they have missed something very important and fundamental in our country compared to other democracies around the world...American
exceptionalism. You can't really directly compare our American democracy with other democracies around the world because we have a long
history of conceptual social freedom dating over 250 years all the way back to colonial times. The United States was founded on this thirst for
personal freedom. It predominated throughout the colonies prior to the Revolution and has characterized our general social concepts since then.
South American countries largely have their historical social basis in Mercantilism and European countries are socially based in Feudalism. So
the South American and European countries which have "tried out" democracy as an overlay to their social history bases just don't compare
directly to the long historical social basis of democracy that has existed throughout U.S. history. This book is fundamentally flawed in making
these direct equivalent comparisons. The social basis for democracy is simply historically and fundamentally much stronger in the U.S. than
that which exists in the democracies developed or tried more recently in other countries.