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Maria's Reviews > How Democracies Die: What History Reveals About Our Future
How Democracies Die: What History Reveals About Our Future
by
by
I want you to see this man. He's the reason why I had to read this book.
I'll be honest I'm not the biggest fan of America. I'm rather indifferent about them but I'm also aware of the importance of this country for the rest of the world. So like many people I was concern when Donald Trump got into power specially because I had seen a man like that. I'm 20 years old and that is how long the Revolución Bolivariana has been in my country and sadly I had not lived in a government different than that. I left my country almost a year ago because this stupid "Revolution" and when I saw this book I had to read it because if in anyway I'm able to avoid something like that to happen again I'll be happy to.
This books puts a compressive guide on how to notice if a person is a posible authoritarian and takes history as the best guide for what to do when we encounter this type of people. As Venezuelan I know first hand how they work and how the take advantage of a polarized population to take control of the country. Seen all this happen in the USA amazed me but reading this book I understood that the real reason why democracies work is because the unwriting rules of the game. The authors focus on two thing: the importance of the political parties avoiding the demagogues and how the politicians in power must follow the rules not written in the constitution. Also not seeing the other as an enemy because this just creates deeper divide in the citizens.
Sadly I feel that even when the sign are there it takes us time to see what is happening and it just becomes obvious when we actually lose democracy. I don't know if the US will be able to come back from this or if they will get even more polarized and isolated. My hope is that they realize the importance of democracy and how fragile it is before it's to late.
I have a bunch of notes from this book. After what happened in my country I wouldn't want to live through something like that ever again so if I ever encounter the signs described in this book I want to be aware that is not normal and whoever is making those actions will try to kill democracy. I believe everyone living in a democracy should read this book. If so to know how to act if the scenario raise or just to remember that democracy is not just on the politician but in everyone who lives under it. On a final note I would like to leave this quote from the book describing democracy.
I'll be honest I'm not the biggest fan of America. I'm rather indifferent about them but I'm also aware of the importance of this country for the rest of the world. So like many people I was concern when Donald Trump got into power specially because I had seen a man like that. I'm 20 years old and that is how long the Revolución Bolivariana has been in my country and sadly I had not lived in a government different than that. I left my country almost a year ago because this stupid "Revolution" and when I saw this book I had to read it because if in anyway I'm able to avoid something like that to happen again I'll be happy to.
This books puts a compressive guide on how to notice if a person is a posible authoritarian and takes history as the best guide for what to do when we encounter this type of people. As Venezuelan I know first hand how they work and how the take advantage of a polarized population to take control of the country. Seen all this happen in the USA amazed me but reading this book I understood that the real reason why democracies work is because the unwriting rules of the game. The authors focus on two thing: the importance of the political parties avoiding the demagogues and how the politicians in power must follow the rules not written in the constitution. Also not seeing the other as an enemy because this just creates deeper divide in the citizens.
Sadly I feel that even when the sign are there it takes us time to see what is happening and it just becomes obvious when we actually lose democracy. I don't know if the US will be able to come back from this or if they will get even more polarized and isolated. My hope is that they realize the importance of democracy and how fragile it is before it's to late.
I have a bunch of notes from this book. After what happened in my country I wouldn't want to live through something like that ever again so if I ever encounter the signs described in this book I want to be aware that is not normal and whoever is making those actions will try to kill democracy. I believe everyone living in a democracy should read this book. If so to know how to act if the scenario raise or just to remember that democracy is not just on the politician but in everyone who lives under it. On a final note I would like to leave this quote from the book describing democracy.
“Surely the Board knows what democracy is. It is the line that forms on the right. It is the “don’t” in don’t shove. It is the hole in the stuffed shirt through which the sawdust slowly trickles; it is the dent in the high hat. Democracy is the recurrent suspicion that more than half of the people are right more than half of the time. It is the feeling of privacy in the voting booths, the feeling of communion in the libraries, the feeling of vitality everywhere. Democracy is a letter to the editor. Democracy is the score at the beginning of the ninth. It is an idea which hasn’t been disproved yet, a song the words of which have not gone bad. It’s the mustard on the hot dog and the cream in the rationed coffee. Democracy is a request from a War Board, in the middle of a morning in the middle of a war, wanting to know what democracy is.” - E. B. White
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Reading Progress
February 16, 2018
– Shelved as:
to-read
February 16, 2018
– Shelved
February 17, 2018
–
Started Reading
February 17, 2018
–
5.0%
"“History doesn’t repeat itself. But it rhymes. The promise of history, and the hope of this book, is that we can find the rhymes before it is too late.”
When talked about Chavez has the fucking authoritarian that he was you had me. Let's see what else you got."
When talked about Chavez has the fucking authoritarian that he was you had me. Let's see what else you got."
February 17, 2018
–
5.0%
"“This is how democracies now die. Blatant dictatorship—in the form of fascism, communism, or military rule—has disappeared across much of the world. Military coups and other violent seizures of power are rare. Most countries hold regular elections. Democracies still die, but by different means.”
Democracy can die even with a million elections. I know this first hand."
Democracy can die even with a million elections. I know this first hand."
February 17, 2018
–
6.0%
"I'm so pissed because I'm reading this from another country. I had to flee Venezuela because living there was hell and democracy has been long dead."
February 17, 2018
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7.0%
"“People do not immediately realize what is happening. Many continue to believe they are living under a democracy. In 2011, when a Latinobarómetro survey asked Venezuelans to rate their own country from 1 (“not at all democratic”) to 10 (“completely democratic”), 51 percent of respondents gave their country a score of 8 or higher.”
THIIISS IS SO TRUE!"
THIIISS IS SO TRUE!"
February 19, 2018
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15.0%
"This is fascinating. The theory here (well the first one) is that the political parties have a responsibility to not associate with this people with OBVIUS extremist tendencies."
March 3, 2018
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32.0%
"“Polarization can destroy democratic norms. When socioeconomic, racial, or religious differences give rise to extreme partisanship, in which societies sort themselves into political camps whose worldviews are not just different but mutually exclusive, toleration becomes harder to sustain.”"
March 4, 2018
– Shelved as:
nonfiction
March 4, 2018
– Shelved as:
pop-sugar-2018
March 4, 2018
– Shelved as:
favoritos
March 4, 2018
–
Finished Reading
Comments Showing 1-4 of 4 (4 new)
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Simon - she's 20 years old (maybe 21 by now). Unless she's been deep in study of poli sci and history -- she's going to have a very partial view at this age. (No offense, Maria).
Thank you both for your comment... Socialism is bs and Chavez was a dictator. Giving free stuff to the poor doesn't make a government good.
Here I am four years later looking at things with a different view. I guess things aren't as black and white as I thought then.
Whatever Chavez's faults are being undemocratic (esp in comparison to the opposition) is not one of them.
You're tirade suggests that you have - for whatever reason and without knowing your socio-economic background I won't even guess - a very partial view of your countries past and present for whatever reason thats heavy on invective and light on reasoned analysis.
With regards to the book, not easy to get a handle on its contents or analysis from your review, but it would seem his problem is that democracy is not delivering the results he and the established elite want.