The Decline and Rise of Democracy

I opened The Decline and Rise of Democracy: A Global History from Antiquity to Today, by David Stasavage (Princeton, 2020), hoping to find insights on the prospects for democracy in Russia, and China. And so I did. I closed the book with a better understanding of American democracy as well. ---David Warsh, Economic Principals An outstanding volume that analyses the development of democracy and autocracy in a refreshing and relevant way. ---Simon Sebag Montefiore, BBC History Magazine A rich and coherent account of democracy's evolution over millennia and across diverse geographical and environmental settings, a deep history . . . . This volume helps us look into the future, and one might be unsettled by what can be seen. ---Varghese K. George, The Hindu Stasavage makes the compelling case that democracy-the desire to have agency and restrain power from above-is a deeply human instinct. . . . In his telling of the journey from early democracy to its modern founding, Stasavage expands our vision and reminds us that deep desire for control over our lives is a profoundly human instinct that is not particular to one group, one religion, or one civilization. ---David Muir, The American Interest Democracy is a naturally occurring condition in humanity societies. This single idea sets Stasavage apart from so many theorists who look to the past. ---Justin Kempf, Democracy Paradox One of BBC History Magazine's Best Books of 2020 A bracing stringency is one of the virtues of The Decline and Rise of Democracy. It sweeps across the globe in command of recent scholarship. . . . It shows how complex democracy's patterns are and, on the evidence, how simpler accounts of its past and prospects stumble. * The Economist * A fascinating voyage through time and place. ---Pierre Lemieux, Regulation