First published 2018
Harvard political scientists Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt examine whether American democracy faces genuine threats during the Trump era. The authors draw from two decades of research studying democratic collapse across Europe and Latin America. They argue that modern democracies rarely fall through dramatic coups or revolutions. Instead, they erode gradually through weakened institutions like courts and media, combined with the abandonment of political norms that previously sustained democratic governance. The book traces patterns of authoritarian drift from 1930s Europe through contemporary cases in Hungary, Turkey, and Venezuela, alongside historical examples from the American South during Jim Crow. Levitsky and Ziblatt identify warning signs of democratic breakdown and argue that Trump's election represents a critical juncture for American institutions. They contend that while multiple pathways exist to prevent full authoritarian capture, the window for protecting democratic norms has already begun to narrow. The analysis offers both diagnosis of current threats and potential strategies for democratic preservation.
Genres: history, american, political-science, non-fiction, 21st-century, current-affairs, academic, american-history
Vibes: suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: diagnosis-and-strategy, institutional-analysis
Setting: America, Europe, Hungary, Latin America, Turkey, Venezuela
Period: 1930s, Jim Crow Era, Trump Era
320 pages · Hardcover · Crown