Why democracy thrives in some places and not in others
It’s a matter of history and good fortune, says David Stasavage
The Decline and Rise of Democracy: A Global History from Antiquity to Today. By David Stasavage. Princeton University Press; 424 pages; $35 and £30.
TWO COMMON beliefs about democracy are that it began in ancient Athens and, on spreading from there, remained peculiarly Western. David Stasavage, a professor of politics at New York University, finds both views mistaken. Without them, he thinks it will be easier to get hopes and fears for present-day democracy into better perspective and balance.
This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline "Beginner’s luck"
From the August 15th 2020 edition
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