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The Decline and Rise of Democracy

作者：David Stasavage

出版社：Princeton University Press

出版年：2020-6-2

评分：8.5

ISBN：9780691177465

所属分类：行业好书

书刊介绍

内容简介

Historical accounts of democracy’s rise tend to focus on ancient Greece and pre-Renaissance Europe. The Decline and Rise of Democracy draws from global evidence to show that the story is much richer—democratic practices were present in many places, at many other times, from the Americas before European conquest, to ancient Mesopotamia, to precolonial Africa. Delving into the prevalence of early democracy throughout the world, David Stasavage makes the case that understanding how and where these democracies flourished—and when and why they declined—can provide crucial information not just about the history of governance, but about the ways modern democracies work and where they could manifest in the future.

Drawing from examples spanning several millennia, Stasavage first considers why states developed either democratic or autocratic styles of governance and argues that early democracy tended to develop in small places with a weak state and, counterintuitively, simple technologies. When central state institutions (such as a tax bureaucracy) were absent—as in medieval Europe—rulers needed consent from their populace to govern. When central institutions were strong—as in China or the Middle East—consent was less necessary and autocracy more likely. He then explores the transition from early to modern democracy, which first took shape in England and then the United States, illustrating that modern democracy arose as an effort to combine popular control with a strong state over a large territory. Democracy has been an experiment that has unfolded over time and across the world—and its transformation is ongoing.

Amidst rising democratic anxieties, The Decline and Rise of Democracy widens the historical lens on the growth of political institutions and offers surprising lessons for all who care about governance.

作品目录

PART I. EARLY DEMOCRACY 1
1 Origins of Democratic Rule 3
2 Early Democracy Was Widespread 29
3 Weak States Inherited Democracy 62
4 When Technology Undermined Democracy 79
PART II. THE DIVERGENCE 99
5 The Development of Representation in Europe 101
6 China as the Bureaucratic Alternative 138
7 How Democracy Disappeared in the Islamic World 166
8 Democracy and Economic Development over the Long Run 181
PART III. MODERN DEMOCRACY 195
9 Why England Was Different 197
10 Democracy and Slavery in America 225
11 The Spread of Modern Democracy 256
12 The Ongoing Democratic Experiment 296
Acknowledgments 309
Notes 311
Bibliography 349
Index 391
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作者简介

David Stasavage is dean for the social sciences and the Julius Silver Professor of Politics at New York University. His books include Taxing the Rich and States of Credit (both Princeton). Twitter @stasavage