Reviews
Praise for How Democracies Die "If you want to understand what's happening to our country, the book you really need to read is How Democracies Die ." --Paul Krugman, The New York Times "Where [Steven] Levitsky and [Daniel] Ziblatt make their mark is in weaving together political science and historical analysis of both domestic and international democratic crises; in doing so, they expand the conversation beyond Trump and before him, to other countries and to the deep structure of American democracy and politics." --Ezra Klein, Vox "Scholarly and readable, alarming and level-headed." --The Guardian "Maybe have a drink before you dig into this one. Levitsky and Ziblatt trace the fall of democracies throughout history with agonizing clarity, going right up to our current perilous moment." --Entertainment Weekly "Comprehensive, enlightening and terrifyingly timely." -- The New York Times Book Review "A sober, dispassionate look at the current state of affairs [from] two of the most respected scholars in the field of democracy studies." --The Washington Post "Required reading for every American." -- The Philadelphia Inquirer "A smart and deeply informed book about the ways in which democracy is being undermined in dozens of countries around the world." --Fareed Zakaria, CNN "The most important book of the Trump era was not Bob Woodward's Fear or Michael Wolff's Fire and Fury or any of the other bestselling exposés of the White House circus. Arguably it was . . . How Democracies Die. " -- The Economist, "A minority of voters can now inflict a legislative wallop of racism, sexism, nativism, homophobia, transphobia, and economic misery on the rest of us--and never have to pay for it at the polls. This is the 'tyranny of the minority' that Levitsky and Ziblatt rightly fear. No lawless strongman or populist autocracy, it's a product of the very Constitution that we have been taught to admire." --The New Yorker "Why has American democracy come so close to a breaking point while other Western democracies appear more stable? In this sobering study, Levitsky and Ziblatt blame the United States' eighteenth-century constitutional order for its modern democratic woes." --Foreign Affairs "[Daniel] Ziblatt and [Steven] Levitsky are two of America's very best comparative political scientists, with expertise that makes them uniquely well-equipped for the subject they're examining. . . . Tyranny of the Minority is one of the best guides out there to the crisis of American democracy." -- Vox "Excellent . . . Levitsky and Ziblatt distinguish themselves by the clarity and scope of their account. For a one-stop-shop foray into the problem of America's outlier status among democratic systems and the challenges of reform, Tyranny of the Minority cannot be beat." --New Republic "In their exceptionally perceptive and wide-ranging new book, Tyranny of the Minority , Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt document the rapid unravelling of democracy in nations from Peru to Thailand, Third Republic France to Viktor Orbán's Hungary." --Times Literary Supplement "In their must-read book, Tyranny of the Minority, Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt cogently explain that Republicans, unable to appeal to a broader share of the electorate beyond diminishing numbers of White, rural Christians, have found ways to exploit, abuse and, indeed, break majority governance." --Jennifer Rubin, The Washington Post "Crisply argued." --The American Prospect "[Tyranny of the Minority] is concise, readable, and convincing." --Anne Applebaum, author of Twilight of Democracy "Levitsky and Ziblatt's research shows with bleak clarity that the only thing standing between America and autocracy is the moral conscience and democratic ideals of the Republican partners of this government." -- New York magazine "Eye-opening." -- Newsweek "Old democracies tend to last, and so do rich democracies, Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt point out in this searing, unsettling, and essential new book, but American democracy, which is both old and rich, is dying." --Jill Lepore, author of These Truths "To their credit, they offer no easy solutions, but Levitsky and Ziblatt challenge us to use our voices and our votes to push back against these inherently antidemocratic features of our endangered republic." --Laurence H. Tribe, University Professor of Constitutional Law Emeritus, Harvard "This eye-opening study, filled with analysis of analogous historical moments from around the world, is an essential primer in the struggle for democracy this century." --Rep. Jamie Raskin, author of Unthinkable, "In their must-read book, Tyranny of the Minority, Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt cogently explain that Republicans, unable to appeal to a broader share of the electorate beyond diminishing numbers of White, rural Christians, have found ways to exploit, abuse and, indeed, break majority governance." --Jennifer Rubin, The Washington Post "Levitsky and Ziblatt's research shows with bleak clarity that the only thing standing between America and autocracy is the moral conscience and democratic ideals of the Republican partners of this government." -- New York magazine "Eye-opening." -- Newsweek "A minority of voters can now inflict a legislative wallop of racism, sexism, nativism, homophobia, transphobia, and economic misery on the rest of us--and never have to pay for it at the polls. This is the 'tyranny of the minority' that Levitsky and Ziblatt rightly fear. No lawless strongman or populist autocracy, it's a product of the very Constitution that we have been taught to admire." --The New Yorker "An exceptionally persuasive book . . . [Daniel] Ziblatt and [Steven] Levitsky are two of America's very best comparative political scientists, with expertise that makes them uniquely well-equipped for the subject they're examining. . . . Tyranny of the Minority is one of the best guides out there to the crisis of American democracy." -- Vox "Old democracies tend to last, and so do rich democracies, Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt point out in this searing, unsettling, and essential new book, but American democracy, which is both old and rich, is dying. In Tyranny of the Minority, they explain why, and they explain, too, how to save it." --Jill Lepore, author of These Truths "Among rich democracies, America is uniquely vulnerable to authoritarianism. If that statement surprises you, it shouldn't. In their new book, Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt explain why this is true and how we can fix it: To stop democratic decay, we need to embrace our own tradition of constitutional reform. Just like their previous work, this book is concise, readable, and convincing." --Anne Applebaum, author of Twilight of Democracy "To their credit, they offer no easy solutions, but Levitsky and Ziblatt challenge us to use our voices and our votes to push back against these inherently antidemocratic features of our endangered republic." --Laurence H. Tribe, University Professor of Constitutional Law Emeritus, Harvard "This eye-opening study, filled with analysis of analogous historical moments from around the world, is an essential primer in the struggle for democracy this century." --Rep. Jamie Raskin, author of Unthinkable "A well-organized and convincing argument." --Kirkus Reviews, "Old democracies tend to last, and so do rich democracies, Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt point out in this searing, unsettling, and essential new book, but American democracy, which is both old and rich, is dying. In Tyranny of the Minority, they explain why, and they explain, too, how to save it." --Jill Lepore, author of These Truths "Among rich democracies, America is uniquely vulnerable to authoritarianism. If that statement surprises you, it shouldn't. In their new book, Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt explain why this is true and how we can fix it: To stop democratic decay, we need to embrace our own tradition of constitutional reform. Just like their previous work, this book is concise, readable, and convincing." --Anne Applebaum, author of Twilight of Democracy "Extending the brilliant analysis of their runaway bestseller, How Democracies Die, the authors vividly analyze the facets of America's democracy, some of them hardwired into our constitutional design and others baked into our history, that make our political system uniquely vulnerable to unrepresentative rule by the few over the many. To their credit, they offer no easy solutions, but Levitsky and Ziblatt challenge us to use our voices and our votes to push back against these inherently antidemocratic features of our endangered republic." --Laurence H. Tribe, University Professor of Constitutional Law Emeritus, Harvard "Levitsky and Ziblatt explain why we Americans are still in the fight of our lives. The smaller of our two major parties has traveled down the road of authoritarianism--rejecting fair election outcomes, casually accepting rightwing violence, and embracing extremist political figures. But our antiquated political institutions and practices entrench the power of this extremist minority and keep the pro-democratic American majority from governing. This eye-opening study, filled with analysis of analogous historical moments from around the world, is an essential primer in the struggle for democracy this century." --Rep. Jamie Raskin, author of Unthinkable "[A] chilling study of how recent political turmoil demonstrates that, 'far from checking authoritarian power, our institutions have begun to augment it.' . . . The authors bolster their wide-ranging narrative with geopolitical and historical examples and informed analyses of the intricate mechanisms of governance. . . . A well-organized and convincing argument." --Kirkus Reviews, "Old democracies tend to last, and so do rich democracies, Levitsky and Ziblatt point out in this searing, unsettling, and essential new book, but American democracy, which is both old and rich, is dying. In Tyranny of the Minority , they explain why, and they explain, too, how to save it." --Jill Lepore, author of These Truths "Among rich democracies, America is uniquely vulnerable to authoritarianism. If that statement surprises you, it shouldn't. In their new book, Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt explain why this is true and how we can fix it: To stop democratic decay, we need to embrace our own tradition of constitutional reform. Just like their previous work, this book is concise, readable, and convincing." --Anne Applebaum, author of Twilight of Democracy "Extending the brilliant analysis of their runaway bestseller, How Democracies Die, the authors vividly analyze the facets of America's democracy, some of them hardwired into our constitutional design and others baked into our history, that make our political system uniquely vulnerable to unrepresentative rule by the few over the many. To their credit, they offer no easy solutions, but Levitsky and Ziblatt challenge us to use our voices and our votes to push back against these inherently antidemocratic features of our endangered republic." --Laurence H. Tribe, University Professor of Constitutional Law Emeritus, Harvard "Levitsky and Ziblatt explain why we Americans are still in the fight of our lives. The smaller of our two major parties has traveled down the road of authoritarianism--rejecting fair election outcomes, casually accepting rightwing violence, and embracing extremist political figures. But our antiquated political institutions and practices entrench the power of this extremist minority and keep the pro-democratic American majority from governing. This eye-opening study, filled with analysis of analogous historical moments from around the world, is an essential primer in the struggle for democracy this century." --Congressman Jamie Raskin, author of Unthinkable "[A] chilling study of how recent political turmoil demonstrates that, 'far from checking authoritarian power, our institutions have begun to augment it.' . . . The authors bolster their wide-ranging narrative with geopolitical and historical examples and informed analyses of the intricate mechanisms of governance. . . . A well-organized and convincing argument." --Kirkus Reviews, "An exceptionally persuasive book . . . Ziblatt and Levitsky are two of America's very best comparative political scientists, with expertise that makes them uniquely well-equipped for the subject they're examining. . . . Tyranny of the Minority is one of the best guides out there to the crisis of American democracy." -- Vox "Old democracies tend to last, and so do rich democracies, Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt point out in this searing, unsettling, and essential new book, but American democracy, which is both old and rich, is dying. In Tyranny of the Minority, they explain why, and they explain, too, how to save it." --Jill Lepore, author of These Truths "Among rich democracies, America is uniquely vulnerable to authoritarianism. If that statement surprises you, it shouldn't. In their new book, Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt explain why this is true and how we can fix it: To stop democratic decay, we need to embrace our own tradition of constitutional reform. Just like their previous work, this book is concise, readable, and convincing." --Anne Applebaum, author of Twilight of Democracy "Extending the brilliant analysis of their runaway bestseller, How Democracies Die, the authors vividly analyze the facets of America's democracy, some of them hardwired into our constitutional design and others baked into our history, that make our political system uniquely vulnerable to unrepresentative rule by the few over the many. To their credit, they offer no easy solutions, but Levitsky and Ziblatt challenge us to use our voices and our votes to push back against these inherently antidemocratic features of our endangered republic." --Laurence H. Tribe, University Professor of Constitutional Law Emeritus, Harvard "Levitsky and Ziblatt explain why we Americans are still in the fight of our lives. The smaller of our two major parties has traveled down the road of authoritarianism--rejecting fair election outcomes, casually accepting rightwing violence, and embracing extremist political figures. But our antiquated political institutions and practices entrench the power of this extremist minority and keep the pro-democratic American majority from governing. This eye-opening study, filled with analysis of analogous historical moments from around the world, is an essential primer in the struggle for democracy this century." --Rep. Jamie Raskin, author of Unthinkable "[A] chilling study of how recent political turmoil demonstrates that, 'far from checking authoritarian power, our institutions have begun to augment it.' . . . The authors bolster their wide-ranging narrative with geopolitical and historical examples and informed analyses of the intricate mechanisms of governance. . . . A well-organized and convincing argument." --Kirkus Reviews, "[Levitsky and Ziblatt] write with terrifying clarity about how the forces of the right have co-opted the enshrined rules to exert their tyranny. . . . In the book's stark telling, Trump and the steamrolling far right didn't get to where they are despite our revered Constitution. They got there because of it." --The Washington Post "Levitsky and Ziblatt's research shows with bleak clarity that the only thing standing between America and autocracy is the moral conscience and democratic ideals of the Republican partners of this government." -- New York magazine "A minority of voters can now inflict a legislative wallop of racism, sexism, nativism, homophobia, transphobia, and economic misery on the rest of us--and never have to pay for it at the polls. This is the 'tyranny of the minority' that Levitsky and Ziblatt rightly fear. No lawless strongman or populist autocracy, it's a product of the very Constitution that we have been taught to admire." --The New Yorker "An exceptionally persuasive book . . . [Daniel] Ziblatt and [Steven] Levitsky are two of America's very best comparative political scientists, with expertise that makes them uniquely well-equipped for the subject they're examining. . . . Tyranny of the Minority is one of the best guides out there to the crisis of American democracy." -- Vox "Old democracies tend to last, and so do rich democracies, Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt point out in this searing, unsettling, and essential new book, but American democracy, which is both old and rich, is dying. In Tyranny of the Minority, they explain why, and they explain, too, how to save it." --Jill Lepore, author of These Truths "Among rich democracies, America is uniquely vulnerable to authoritarianism. If that statement surprises you, it shouldn't. In their new book, Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt explain why this is true and how we can fix it: To stop democratic decay, we need to embrace our own tradition of constitutional reform. Just like their previous work, this book is concise, readable, and convincing." --Anne Applebaum, author of Twilight of Democracy "To their credit, they offer no easy solutions, but Levitsky and Ziblatt challenge us to use our voices and our votes to push back against these inherently antidemocratic features of our endangered republic." --Laurence H. Tribe, University Professor of Constitutional Law Emeritus, Harvard "This eye-opening study, filled with analysis of analogous historical moments from around the world, is an essential primer in the struggle for democracy this century." --Rep. Jamie Raskin, author of Unthinkable "A well-organized and convincing argument." --Kirkus Reviews
