How Democracies Die: What History Reveals About Our Future
by Steven Levitsky
View on GoodreadsLevitsky and Ziblatt's comparative argument that contemporary democracies don't fall to coups; they're hollowed out from within by elected leaders who erode norms while keeping the forms.
Core ideas
- Two unwritten norms hold democracies together: mutual toleration (the other side is a legitimate competitor, not an enemy) and forbearance (don't use every legal power you have to its limit).
- A four-part litmus test for authoritarian leaders: rejection of democratic rules, denial of opponents' legitimacy, toleration/encouragement of violence, willingness to curtail civil liberties of opponents and media.
- Once gatekeeping fails — parties admit demagogues onto the ballot rather than blocking them — the rest of the process follows familiar patterns from Hungary, Venezuela, Turkey, etc.
Published2018
Pages320
ISBN9781524762933
ReadJan 2023
