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Democratic breakdown as a political and historic event can impact the fate of millions, if not hundreds of millions of people, by changing the political complexion of a country. This book attempts to systematically explain why democracies collapse.
The author's main theoretical argument is based on the examination of two factors. One is political cleavages among voters. These can cause serious political conflicts and may lead to fierce political confrontation and major upheaval at the society level. The other revolves around the types of political and institutional arrangements under democratic regimes. Centrifugal democratic regimes are likely to weaken government capacity or state capacity, rendering governments incapable of effectively resolving political conflicts and, when these two factors come together, political conflicts are less likely to be controlled effectively. These situations can evolve into serious political crises and eventually lead to the collapse of democratic regimes. The empirical research of this book is based on a comparative historical analysis of Germany, Nigeria, Chile, and India.
Examining democratic collapses from both theoretical and empirical perspectives, this book will be of interest to those engaged in the study of democracy, Political Science, Comparative Politics, and Political Theory.
List of contents
Part I: Theory of Democratic Breakdown, 1. Introduction: A New Explanation of Democratic Breakdown, 2. The Logic of Political Cleavages, 3. Political Institutions and Centrifugal Democracy, Part II: Case Studies, 4. Democratic Breakdown in the Weimar Republic, 5. Ethnic Conflicts and the Dilemma of Democracy in Nigeria, 6. Class Conflict and the Failure of Chile's Democracy, 7. The Miracle of Indian Democracy and its Constitution, Part III: Conclusion and Implications, 8. Conclusion: How to Avoid the Failure of Young Democracies?
About the author
Gangsheng Bao is a Professor of Political Science at the School of International Relations and Public Affairs, Fudan University, China. He earned his PhD in Political Science from Peking University (2012) and was a visiting scholar at the Department of Government, Harvard University (academic year 2019–2020). He focuses on political theory and comparative politics; his other work includes The Logic of Democracy (2018). Dr. Bao’s online course "30 Lectures on Politics" has more than 38,000 students. His book was named the "Best Social Science Book of the Year 2014" by The Beijing News, and he was recognized as the "Best Author of the Year 2018" by The Economic Observer.
Summary
Democratic breakdown as a political and historic event can impact the fate of millions, if not hundreds of millions of people by changing the political complexion of a country. This book attempts to systematically explain why democracies collapse.
