How Democracies Die
Introduction + Context
Plot Summary
Detailed Summary & Analysis
Introduction Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9
Themes
All Themes American Tyranny Authoritarianism vs. Democratic Norms Extremism and Gatekeeping Polarization and Inclusive Democracy Global and Historical Patterns
Quotes
Characters
All Characters George W. Bush Rafael Caldera Hugo Chávez Bill Clinton Hillary Clinton Father Charles Coughlin Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Henry Ford Alberto Fujimori Newt Gingrich Adolf Hitler Charles Lindbergh Joseph McCarthy Robert Mueller Benito Mussolini Richard Nixon Barack Obama Viktor Orbán Vladimir Putin Franklin D. Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Donald Trump George Washington
Terms
All Terms Compromise of 1877 Constitutional Hardball Coup d’état Filibuster Gatekeeping Institutional Forbearance Invisible Primary Mutual Toleration
Symbols
All Symbols Democracy’s Guardrails
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How Democracies Die

by

Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt
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How Democracies Die Symbols

Democracy’s Guardrails

Levitsky and Ziblatt compare democratic norms to guardrails in order to illustrate how they protect political systems against anti-democratic elements. Just as guardrails protect people from falling off a balcony or cars from veering off…

read analysis of Democracy’s Guardrails

Democracy’s Guardrails Symbol Icon
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