Tyranny of the minority : why American democracy reached the breaking point / Steven Levitsky & Daniel Ziblatt.

Contents Fear of losing -- The banality of authoritarianism -- It has happened here -- Why the Republican Party abandoned democracy -- Fettered majorities -- Minority rule -- America the outlier -- Democratizing our democracy.
Abstract "A call to reform our antiquated political institutions before it's too late-from the New York Times bestselling authors of How Democracies Die. America is undergoing a massive experiment: It is moving, in fits and starts, toward a multiracial democracy, something few societies have ever done. But the prospect of change has sparked an authoritarian backlash that threatens the very foundations of our political system. Why is democracy under assault here, and not in other wealthy, diversifying nations? And what can we do to save it? With the clarity and brilliance that made their first book, How Democracies Die, a global bestseller, Harvard professors Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt offer a coherent framework for understanding these volatile times. They draw on a wealth of examples-from 1930s France to present-day Thailand-to explain why and how political parties turn against democracy. They then show how our Constitution makes us uniquely vulnerable to attacks from within: It is a pernicious enabler of minority rule, allowing partisan minorities to consistently thwart and even rule over popular majorities. Most modern democracies-from Germany and Sweden to Argentina and New Zealand-have eliminated outdated institutions like elite upper chambers, indirect elections, and lifetime tenure for judges. The United States lags dangerously behind. In this revelatory book, Levitsky and Ziblatt issue an urgent call to perfect our national experiment. It's a daunting task, but we have remade our country before-most notably, after the Civil War and during the Progressive Era. And now we are at a crossroads: America will either become a multiracial democracy or cease to be a democracy at all"-- Provided by publisher.
Bibliography noteIncludes bibliographical references and index.
Issued in other formOnline version: Levitsky, Steven. Tyranny of the minority First edition. New York : Crown, 2023 9780593443088
Genre/formInformational works.
Genre/formDocuments d'information.
LCCN 2023020872
ISBN9780593443071 hardcover
ISBN0593443071 hardcover
ISBN9780593728161 paperback
ISBN0593728165 paperback
ISBNelectronic book

Availability

Library Location Call Number Status Item Actions
Joyner General Stacks JK1021 .L48 2023 ✔ Available Place Hold