Ordinary People in Extraordinary Times

The Citizenry and the Breakdown of Democracy

Häftad, Engelska, 2003

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For generations, influential thinkers--often citing the tragic polarization that took place during Germany's Great Depression--have suspected that people's loyalty to democratic institutions erodes under pressure and that citizens gravitate toward antidemocratic extremes in times of political and economic crisis. But do people really defect from democracy when times get tough? Do ordinary people play a leading role in the collapse of popular government? Based on extensive research, this book overturns the common wisdom. It shows that the German experience was exceptional, that people's affinity for particular political positions are surprisingly stable, and that what is often labeled polarization is the result not of vote switching but of such factors as expansion of the franchise, elite defections, and the mobilization of new voters. Democratic collapses are caused less by changes in popular preferences than by the actions of political elites who polarize themselves and mistake the actions of a few for the preferences of the many.These conclusions are drawn from the study of twenty cases, including every democracy that collapsed in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution in interwar Europe, every South American democracy that fell to the Right after the Cuban Revolution, and three democracies that avoided breakdown despite serious economic and political challenges. Unique in its historical and regional scope, this book offers unsettling but important lessons about civil society and regime change--and about the paths to democratic consolidation today.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum2003-08-10
Mått155 x 236 x 20 mm
Vikt410 g
FormatHäftad
SpråkEngelska
Antal sidor288
FörlagPrinceton University Press
ISBN9780691089706
UtmärkelserWinner of American Political Science Association Comparative Democratization Section Best Book Award 2004

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LIST OF FIGURES ix LIST OF TABLES xi PART I: OUR LITERATURE AND INTERWAR EUROPE 1 CHAPTER 1 Heroes or Villains? Images of Citizens and Civil Society in the Literature on Democracy 7 CHAPTER 2 Ordinary People and the Breakdown of Democracy in Interwar Europe 21 PART II: SOUTH AMERICA AND OUR LITERATURE REVISED 65 CHAPTER 3 The Reluctant Coup in Brazil 69 CHAPTER 4 The Slow-Motion Coup in Uruguay 100 CHAPTER 5 The Tragedy of Democracy in Chile 138 CHAPTER 6 The Violent Death of Democracy in Argentina 177 CHAPTER 7 Polarization and the Ignorance of Elites 221 INDEX 257

One of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2005 Winner of the 2003 Best Book On Democratization "[An] outstanding contribution to theory and policy... Highly readable, informative, and intelligible."--Choice "This impressive and engaging book ... is an exemplary work of comparative politics. It is elegantly written, and contains innovative theoretical arguments, sound historical research, and broad compelling empirical comparisons."--Marc Morje Howard, Political Science Quarterly "Nancy Bermeo's wide-ranging and scholarly study of seventeen modern democracies which have failed tracks the behavior of ordinary democratic citizens during the critical periods and makes the case that most of them remained loyal to the democratic process, even at the worst of times."--Ian Johnston, Humanist Perspectives