Of the people, by the people
Subtitle: a new history of democracy
By: Roger Osborne
Publisher: Bodley Head
Published: 2011
Place of publication: London
Language: eng
Number of pages: 330
ISBN-13: 9780224078559
Subjects: Democracy; Political participation; Human rights; Politics and Government; Demokratie
Description: Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time'. Churchill had more reason than most to rue the power of democracy, having been thrown out of office after leading Britain to victory in 1945. Democracy, when viewed from above, has always been a fickle master; from below it is a powerful but fragile friend. Most books on democracy focus on political theory and analysis, in a futile attempt to define democracy. For "The People By The People" takes the opposite approach, telling the stories of the different democracies that have come into existence during the past two and half millennia. From Athens to Rhaetia, Jamestown to Delhi, and Putney to Pretoria, the book shows how democratic systems are always a reflection of the culture and history of their birthplaces, and come about through seizing fleeting opportunities. Democracy can only be understood through the fascinating and inspiring stories of the people who fought to bring it about. The book raises profound questions about whether democracy is the engine of prosperity, or a luxury that only the prosperous can afford; and whether its assumption that good government arises from mass participation is an illusion. By giving the individual histories of different democracies, the book shows that real and lasting democracy always arises from beneath, and needs a process of never-ending communal creativity to sustain itself.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Machine generated contents note: ch. 1 Athens and the Ancient World; title: The Involved Citizen; title: ch. 2 Parliaments and Things; title: The Represented Citizen; title: ch. 3 Medieval Towns and City Republics; title: The Burgher-Citizen; title: ch. 4 Democracy in the High Alps; title: The Communal Citizen; title: ch. 5 The English Revolution; title: The Subject-Citizen; title: ch. 6 Democracy in America; title: The Citizen-Elector; title: ch. 7 France, 1789-95; title: The Citizen-Activist; title: ch. 8 Republics in Latin America; title: The Subdued Citizen; title: ch. 9 Europe in the Nineteenth Century; title: The Denied Citizen; title: ch. 10 Embrace and Retreat; title: The Idealised Citizen; title: ch. 11 India; title: The Independent Citizen; title: ch. 12 The Postwar West; title: The Consumer-Citizen; title: ch. 13 Democracy and Decolonisation; title: The Exploited Citizen; title: ch. 14 The Collapse of Communism in Europe; title: The Citizen Triumphant; title: ch. 15 Democracy since 1989; title: The Informed Citizen.