Can Democracy Survive in the 21st Century? - Oligarchy, tyranny, and ochlocracy in the age of global capitalism

This book analyzes the many threats to democracy that exist in the 21st century and tries to understand how democracy can survive economic, social and political crises. It focuses on issues of oligarchy, tyranny, totalitarianism, and ochlocracy. It discusses how these forms of governance manifested themselves in ancient and medieval worlds, and how socio-economic transitions in the 21st century have created conditions that increasingly pose similar threats to modern democracy. The author discusses broad transitions in the contemporary world: economic transition to advanced, high technology capitalism; cultural transition from traditional religious and family values to norms focusing on racial equality, gender and transgender equality and liberation, and multiculturalism; also, transition from the traditional religious worldview to rational-scientific worldview, and from religious morality to secular humanist ethics. These taken together undergird the political transition from traditional authority, involving monarchy and aristocracy, to rational-legal authority, involving constitutional law and democratic participation. The book shows, through extensive country discussions, that whenever these transitions become difficult, undemocratic forms of governance may emerge and override democracy.

Authored by an expert in the field, this book touches upon an especially topical theme in the contemporary world and is of interest to a wide readership across the social sciences, from researchers and students to discerning laypersons.

List of contents

THE RICH AGAINST DEMOCRACY.- Oligarchy, Democracy, and Tyranny in the City-States of the Ancient World.- Renaissance Italian City-States: The Triumph of Oligarchy and Tyranny.- Oligarchy and Democracy in the German and Dutch Trade-Capitalist and Reformation City-States.- Oligarchy and Democracy in the Dutch Republic and Great Britain: The Emergence of Representative Democracy.- The Structure of High Technology Global Capitalism.- The Realignment of the Political Parties in the Advanced Capitalist Nations.- Global Capitalism vs. Geo-Political Nationalism.- The Managerial and Entrepreneurial Rich Take a Huge Percentage of the Wealth to Themselves.- Taxing the Rich.- THE POOR AGAINST DEMOCRACY.- Aristotle on the Problem of a Majority Poor.- Africa and the Traditional Poor.- The Middle East:  The Sunni-Shia Split; Radical Islam; Tribalism; and Oil.- The Poor, The Military, and Tyranny.- TYRANNY.- The Origins of Tyranny: From the War Chiefand Shaman to Divine Kingship.- The Emergence of Tyranny Without Traditional Kingship.- Oligarchy, Democracy, and Tyranny in the Italian City-States.- Tyranny During the English and French Revolutions: Cromwell, Napoleon and Louis Napoleon.- From Tyranny to Totalitarianism in the Twentieth Century: Fascism and Nazism, Mass Mobilization and Mass Murder.- From Tyranny to Totalitarianism in the Twentieth Century: Communism - Utopian Dreams and Totalitarianism Reality.- Totalitarianism: Tyranny Taken to a Terrifying Level Totalitarianism as a New Political Phenomenon.- Illiberal Democracy: A New Form of Modern Tyranny.- OCHLOCRACY: MOB RULE AND CROWD PSYCHOLOGY IN THE CYBERSPHERE.- Ochlocracy as a Critique of Democracy in the Ancient Greek World.- Ochlocracy Disappears: The Rise of Representative Democracy.- Ochlocracy in the Cybersphere.- THE MODERN TRANSITION: A FOURFOLD PROCESS - ECONOMIC, CULTURAL, WORLDVIEW, AND POLITICAL.- The Economic Transition to High Technology Industrial Capitalism.- The Cultural Transition: The Cultural Transition: From Traditional Religious Family and "Tribal" Values to the "Politically Correct" Values, on Racial Equality, Gender Equality, Gay Liberation, and Multiculturalism.- The New Worldview: The Rational Scientific Worldview, and, Secular Humanism.- The Political Transition: From Traditional Authority (Monarchy) to Electoral Democracy with Legal-Rational Authority.

About the author

Ronald Glassman, PhD, is a sociologist. He has taught at New York University, Connecticut College, the City University of New York, and William Paterson University. Professor Glassman is a specialist in historical sociology and has authored many books on democracy, including The Origins of Democracy in Tribes, City-States and Nation-States (2 vols.); The Middle Class and Democracy in Socio-Historical Perspective; The New Middle Class and Democracy in Global Perspective; Caring Capitalism; China in Transition: Communism, Capitalism, Democracy; Democracy and Equality (with William Swatos, Jr.); Charisma, History, and Social Structure; and other books. Glassman teaches at The Stern College for Women, New York.

Product details

• Authors: Ronald M Glassman, Ronald M. Glassman
• Publisher: Springer, Berlin
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 30.09.2021
• EAN: 9783030768201
• ISBN: 978-3-0-3076820-1
• No. of pages: 266
• Dimensions: 155 mm x 20 mm x 235 mm
• Illustrations: XXIII, 266 p. 1 illus.
• Subject: Social sciences, law, business > Sociology > Political sociology