How Democracies Die by Daniel Ziblatt and Steven Levitsky - Book Report #239

The sobering takeaway from this book is: democracies are actually very fragile. It can take only one person, with dictatorial qualities, to unravel decades, even centuries of democratic governance.

By exploring worldwide democratic history, the authors shine a light on the current sitting president, Donald Trump. 

It’s fascinating to learn how calamities from one era can significantly affect the future.  Take 9/11 and the Patriot Act as an example of how future presidents can leverage the act’s power and further erode the rights and freedoms that are the pillars of modern democracy. 

The intense polarization of political views and their parties, got its start in the 1970’s with Newt Gingrich and his viscous verbal attacks on the opposition.  He broke with an unwritten rule of respect and diplomacy. 

Obviously there is much more going on in the two parties than just one person.  Gingrich just marked a change in tone. 

The authors make some interesting connections with civil rights and the current political climate in the United States. 

What I kept coming away with is the fragility of our democratic systems. They only work if we believe, trust and respect them.  Supreme courts can be packed with politically aligned justices.  Filibusters can be abused to the point of making governments impotent.  Respect for the executive, the house and judiciary have been eroded. 

In order to keep democracy working politicians must respect the rules and customs that have been observed over the decades and centuries.  Once the unwritten rules of decorum and respect are broken democracy itself can unravel.

It was a chilling subject - the fragility of democracy. 

More information about the authors -https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Levitsky
and - https://scholar.harvard.edu/dziblatt/home

Steven Levitsky (left) and Daniel Ziblatt