Democracy Against Itself
Sustaining an Unsustainable Idea
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Edinburgh University Press
Published:18th Jun '14
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
Why do some democracies self-destruct? Using the collapse of democracy in ancient Athens and the Weimar Republic, as well as the uncertain fate of democratic rule in the United States and China today as illustrative examples, Mark Chou examines the conditions and characteristics of democracy that make it prone to self-destruct. In drawing out the political lessons from these past collapses, he explains how a democracy can, simply by being democratic, sow the seeds of its own destruction.
An enormously important book on politics and democracy. What makes it both interesting and brilliant reading is not Chou’s abandonment of democracy but his scorching analysis of how democracy is misrepresented – the perversions and swindles made in its name against its real promise. Read this book and you will never again take democracy for granted. -- Henry A. Giroux, McMaster University and Ryerson University, Canada
Mark Chou reveals the endogenous factors that can make democracy unsustainable. This eloquently written book offers new insights on democratic politics for scholars, students and citizens. -- Nancy S. Love, Professor of Political Science, Appalachian State University
ISBN: 9780748681884
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: 429g
208 pages