How Democracies Die

After the contested election of 1876, the Compromise of 1877 was an informal agreement that the Democrats would give Republican candidate Rutherford B. Hayes the presidency, so long as Hayes agreed to remove all federal… read analysis of Compromise of 1877

Constitutional hardball is the political strategy of doing everything possible to win power, even if it means pushing the limits of the constitution and abandoning democratic norms. The opposite of constitutional hardball is institutional forbearance… read analysis of Constitutional Hardball

A coup d’état is a violent overthrow of a government, often by a small group of political or military leaders. read analysis of Coup d’état

The filibuster is a procedural rule in the U.S. Senate that allows any senator to block voting on legislation unless three-fifths of the Senate overrides them. Senators have used the filibuster more and more often… read analysis of Filibuster

Institutional forbearance is the norm that politicians exercise restraint in using their legal powers, in order to respect the spirit of the law and protect legitimate democracy. According to Levitsky and Ziblatt, institutional forbearance… read analysis of Institutional Forbearance

The invisible primary is the informal selection process through which political parties give their favored candidates the resources and publicity they need to launch a viable presidential bid. However, in the 21st century, the invisible… read analysis of Invisible Primary

Mutual toleration is the democratic norm that politicians recognize their opposition as legitimate rivals for power. Levitsky and Ziblatt argue that, along with institutional forbearance, mutual toleration is one of the two key norms… read analysis of Mutual Toleration