How Democracies Die

Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt both teach political science at Harvard University. In the midst of growing threats to democracy worldwide, they consider the reasons why some democracies have “died” historically or transformed into authoritarian regimes, especially in Europe and Latin America. In particular, they stress the erosion of democratic norms with the attack on such institutions as an independent judiciary and a free press from elected leaders within democratic societies themselves. They warn that such institutions and the norms they create serve as “guardrails” that keep democratic societies from driving off the cliff into authoritarianism. The authors offer warning signs about how to spot…