How Democracies Die

Two Harvard professors explain the stages in which governments collapse - and how we can prevent this

Democracies die in three stages: the election of an authoritarian leader, the concentration and abuse of governmental power and finally, the complete repression of opposition and citizens. The first step was taken in the US with the election of Donald Trump; we must all learn how we can prevent all three.

From how General Augusto Pinochet dramatically seized power in Chile in 1973 to the quiet undermining of Turkey's constitutional system by President Recip Erdogan, Harvard professors Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt draw insightful lessons from democracies in crisis across history to shine a light on governmental breakdown across the 20th and 21st centuries.

Based on years of research, How Democracies Die is both an alarming analysis of the unthinkable happening today - how democracy is being subverted and can be destroyed - and a guide for the roads ahead, for governments and individuals. The route democracy takes will hinge, to a large extent, on how leaders, and we ourselves, respond, and this masterpiece will help us do so effectively.