How Democracies Die ;

What History Reveal About Our Future

Written By: Steven LEvitsky and Daniel Ziblatt

Book review

Name: Ijaz Ul Haq

Subject : History Of USA

Submitted to : Dr Tahir Jameel

American Studies Center QAU Islamabad

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 Steven Levitsky

Steven Levitsky is David Rockefeller Professor of Latin American Studies and

Professor of Government at Harvard University. His research focuses on

democratization and authoritarianism, political parties, and weak and informal

institutions, with a focus on in Latin America. He is co-author with Daniel Ziblatt

of How Democracies Die published by Crown publishers in 2018, which is a New

York Times best-Seller, published in 25 languages.

Daniel Ziblatt

Daniel Ziblatt is Eaton Professor of the Science of Government at Harvard University

and resident faculty at the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies.Ziblatt

specializes in the study of European politics, state-building, democratization and

historical political economy. His latest book How Democracies Die co-authored with

Steven Levitsky is one of the best seller book of the New York Time.

Thematic Paragraph of the Book

For a would be Authoritarian who feels unfair and besieged by opponents and

shackled by democratic institutions, crisis opens up a window of opportunity.

The book “How Democracies Die”, ‘what history reveal about our future’, is of the

best seller book of New York Times . The book has written by Levitsky and Ziblatt

and was published in 2018. It has three main parts, in which the authors have tried to

explain the following questions;

1. How an authoritarian leaders ascend to the power?

2. What are the main characteristics of an authoritarian leaders?

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3. How to restrain them from becoming so much powerful?

4. How unwritten norms of American society helps in sustaining democratic

system?

5. How the unwritten values and norms that helps in sustaining democratic

environment has been disrupted by the authoritarian leaders in the political

history of the United States of America?

While addressing the first question, the authors stated that an authoritarian leaders did

not come to power without fateful alliances. They stated that throughout history of

politics, the weak and the trembling leaders in the game of politics always assisted the

authoritarian leaders by giving them an opportunity. To prove the claim, the authors

have provided an ample of examples where the succumbing leaders help in bringing

the authoritarians to power.

Among all these , the most famous authoritarian leader who has ascended to power

with the help of timid political leader was Hitler. When VON PAPEN feel that he has

lost the battle of politics and need someone on whose shoulder he can remained in

power, he favoured the decision of making Hitler a chancellor of Germany. Similarly,

MOSSOLINI and CHAVEZ were also supported by the losing leaders which later on

became headache for them itself. All the political leaders that had supported the

authoritarian leaders once regretted it all the time afterward.

Furthermore, the authors have also described the characteristics and main features of

authoritarian leaders. According the them, the leader who rejects in words or actions,

the democratic rules of the game is authoritarian. Similarly, if a leader denies the

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legitimacy of the opposition leader is also in the category of authoritarian leaders. In

addition, when a leader tolerates or encourages violence, indicates a willingness to

curtail the civil liberties of opponents, included the media, is an authoritarian leader.

Moreover, the populist leaders are more tilted towards the authoritarian style of

government , the authors stated. They also have enlisted some of the most common

ways through which an authoritarian leaders can be restrained from becoming too

much powerful. These includes, distancing from him/her, out rooting of the extremists

from party, isolating them on party level, making them illegitimate and forming

alliances against them are the best way which can help in restraining authoritarians

from ascending to the powerful position in the country.

The second part of the book deals with the unwritten values and norms that helps in

sustaining democratic system. According to Levitsky and Ziblatt, mutual toleration,

forbearance, reciprocity,and courtesy are those values which make the democratic

system sustainable and inclusive. Mutual tolerance means recognizing the opposition

legitimate as for as they play the game of politics under the umbrella of law and

constitution. Similarly, Institutional forbearance means not to take hard steps even if

its your legal right. Furthermore, Reciprocity means restraint in the use of one’s

power so as not to overly antagonize other senators and endanger future cooperation.

The last unwritten value that the writers have explained in the second part of the book

is Courtesy. Courtesy means avoiding personal or embarrassing attacks on fellow

senators. The combination of all the above mentioned values help in building a

strong , inclusive and democratic government system and a strong welfare state

system.

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The third portion of the book which tries to answer the fifth question, explains the

upheavals in the political history of the United States of America. The authors enlisted

the ways in which the American Political leaders interrupted the political system. This

includes the disruption of the unwritten democratic values, the use of parliament for

political gain, the redistricting plan for political abeyance,and the installation of the

loyalists in courts and other institutions. Further, the authors have enlisted the

methods through the political leaders of America disrupted the values and norms that

helps in sustaining democratic system. These are;

 Removal of the unfriendly justices and replace them with partisans.

 Altering the size of the court justices and fell it with loyalists.

 Sidelining the main players in the game of politics.

 Changing the basic rules of the political game I.e redistricting plan.

By explaining the above means through which the American leaders disrupted the

values, the authors also provided an ample of examples like that of the Jefferson in

1804 against Samuel chase; a court justice, and the Trump against Oboma is the most

famous examples.

In a nutshell, the book provides an ample history of the American politics,the

Constitutional framework, the amendments that had occurred throughout history, like

the 15TH amendment, the 16TH amendment, the 17TH amendment, THE 18TH

amendment along with 19th, 20TH , 21TH , and the 22 amendments of the constitutions.