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The People Vs. Democracy

Why Our Freedom Is in Danger and How to Save It
Jun 23, 2019ghreads rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
This book examines the current success of populist politicians around the world and the threat they pose to the system of liberal democracy built in North American and Western Europe in the seven decades since World War II. The author describes the current state of affairs, its origins and possible remedies. Autocrats such as Donald Trump are not the cause of populism; rather, they are the symptom. The three primary causes analyzed in detail are social media, economic stagnation and inequality, and the social, economic and cultural fears created by the increasing transformation of mono-ethnic or ethnically hierarchical societies into multi-ethnic ones. The author walks the line between pessimism and optimism. He presents possible remedies to the three conditions identified as the causes of the swing to populism, with a strong emphasis on the need for the revival of thorough citizen education in civics. The book is well-organized and well-written and easily readable. The content is very interesting and thought-provoking. The one small omission, to my mind, occurs in the discussion of the need for the reform of the taxation and welfare systems. An analysis of the potential benefits of a Guaranteed Basic Income System would have been very interesting. The primary lesson in this book, as in other current books in a similar vein, is that our liberal democracy is a fragile institution requiring an informed, active and vigilant citizenry. Highly recommended.