How Democracies Die

most important book of the Trump era'</b> The Economist <p><i>How does a democracy die?<br> What can we do to save our own?<br> What lessons does history teach us?<br> </i><br> In the 21st century democracy is threatened like never before. <p>Drawing insightful lessons from across history - from Pinochet's murderous Chilean regime to Erdogan's quiet dismantling in Turkey - Levitsky and Ziblatt explain why democracies fail, how leaders like Trump subvert them today and what each of us can do to protect our democratic rights. <p> <b>'This book looks to history to provide a guide for defending democratic norms when they are under threat, and finds that it is possible to fight back.' </b>David Runciman <p><b>'A useful primer on the importance of norms, institutional restraints and civic participation in maintaining a democracy - and how quickly those things can erode when we're not paying attention' </b>President Barack Obama<br> <b><br> 'A must-read' </b><i>Andrew Marr, Sunday Times</i><b> <p> 'The greatest of the many merits of Levitsky and Ziblatt's <i>How Democracies Die</i> is their rejection of western exceptionalism. They tell inspiring stories I had not heard before' </b>Nick Cohen, <i>Observer</i><b> <p> 'Provocative, timely. One of my favourite reads this year' </b>Elif Shafak <p><b> 'Anyone who is concerned about the future of democracy should read this brisk, accessible book. Anyone who is <i>not</i> concerned should definitely read it' </b>Daron Acemoglu, co-author of <i>Why Nations Fail</i></p>