Tyranny of the Minority

How to Reverse an Authoritarian Turn, and Forge a Democracy for All

In this razor-sharp analysis of one of the most important issues facing us today, leading Harvard professors Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt draw on their combined expertise of over 40 years to offer a dire warning about right-wing efforts to undermine multiracial democracy.

Exploring the 2024 American election and the Capitol riots, as well as global examples from history including post-1945 Germany and Brazil and Chile during the '60s and '70s, the authors show how certain political institutions can be pernicious enablers of minority rule, creating a situation in which partisan minorities can consistently thwart and even rule over popular majorities.

With its urgent call for a radical reform of our politics to balance the need for majority rule with the need for minority protections, and a citizens' movement to put enough pressure on lawmakers to act before it's too late, Tyranny of the Minority is a must-read for everyone keen to see more vibrant democracy.
An exceptionally perceptive and wide-ranging book . . . [that lays] out an ambitious fifteen-plank project of democratic renewal
Lawrence Douglas, TLS

About Steven Levitsky

Steven Levitsky is Professor of Government at Harvard University. His research and teaching focus on political parties, democracy and authoritarianism and weak and informal institutions in Latin America and across the developing world. He is the author of two books, Competitive Authoritarianism and Informal Institutions and Democracy.
Details
  • Imprint: Viking
  • ISBN: 9780241586204
  • Length: 384 pages
  • Dimensions: 222mm x 35mm x 144mm
  • Weight: 498g
  • Price: £20.00