How Democracies Die

“How Democracies Die” is a book that I am getting to review that is coming at perfect timing giving the American Government Shutdown that is happening. It comes from two Harvard scholars who have done mass research on the rise and fall of democracies around the world. Their goal is to educate and empower citizens to be able to help fight themselves for their country.

In a time when we are having to question a lot, and I do mean a lot, in our country, this book comes. And in fact, even talks about Donald Trump. Though they talk about Obama too. They are party neutral in terms of looking at the problems. Could he be a threat to the democracy or democratic republic that has been a modern phenomenon that has lasted hundreds of year? They think yes, and it was done just has it has been done before and by using the system against itself.

This book is easier to read than just another “history” book.

It starts by introducing the democracies that have failed in other countries throughout the world including Chile, Philippines, Venezuela, and other countries.

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He gives you more background on how a lot of democracies aren’t taken down by pure military coups but gradual dictatorship. How do we feel this is going to impact us in the united states and can we learn from them and avoid the same fate?

Being able to vote hasn’t been an issue as much as we think. There are plenty of countries that vote that aren’t a full democracy. So, with everything going on and coming more to light, we are becoming more aware-- if we are awake-- to what is going on in this country, starting but not limited to voting ability and right without the interference of any kind.

"Many Americans art justifiably frightened by what is happening to our country. But protecting our democracy requires more than just fright or outrage. We must be humble and bold. We must learn from other countries to see the warning signs- and recongise the false alarms." (10).

He goes through the history of even the 1930s in Germany. How there was eventually a stalemate after long political and social unrest that they put someone on the ballet that they thought they could control- Hitler. Sounds familiar? He doesn't make the direct connection on paper but it's clear.

This book is super insightful and is honestly written for anyone to read and understand. Going through the history of the democracies around the world. The rise, the interim, and the fall gives alot of useful insight that we can use as citizens of a country we love.

This isn't about whose side you are on but rather working together. Especially if we are looking to save our country.

There is so much insight into the history around the world- which makes it immediately our history. And with it being written so well, is a read that anyone and everyone should be doing.

I give this book a ☁☁☁☁☁ out of 5.

Book Description:

"A bracing, revelatory look at the demise of liberal democracies around the world--and a road map for rescuing our own

Donald Trump's presidency has raised a question that many of us never thought we'd be asking: Is our democracy in danger? Harvard professors Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt have spent more than twenty years studying the breakdown of democracies in Europe and Latin America, and they believe the answer is yes. Democracy no longer ends with a bang--in a revolution or military coup--but with a whimper: the slow, steady weakening of critical institutions, such as the judiciary and the press, and the gradual erosion of long-standing political norms. The good news is that there are several exit ramps on the road to authoritarianism. The bad news is that, by electing Trump, we have already passed the first one.

Drawing on decades of research and a wide range of historical and global examples, from 1930s Europe to contemporary Hungary, Turkey, and Venezuela, to the American South during Jim Crow, Levitsky and Ziblatt show how democracies die--and how ours can be saved."

* I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review *