Politics & Governance / Domestic Politics / Democracy & Elections
How Democracies Die : modern democracies gradually eroded from within by legally elected leaders.
How Democracies Die (Steven Levitsky) How Democracies Die, co-authored by political scientists Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt, offers a penetrating analysis: modern democracies rarely collapse from violent coups. Instead, they are often gradually eroded from within by legally elected leaders. From a comparative historical perspective, the authors argue that the survival of democracy depends not only on constitutional texts but also on two unwritten informal norms — "mutual toleration" and "institutional forbearance" — which act as guardrails. The book elaborates on the critical role of political parties as "gatekeepers." It warns that when mainstream elites ally with extreme populists for political gain, they unlock the door to democratic backsliding. The book exposes the fragility of democratic systems and calls on the public to recognize signs of the weaponization of power, aiming to safeguard liberal institutions amid deeply polarized political currents.
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