Aus der Bibliothek von Prof. Wolfgang Haase, langjährigem Herausgeber der ANRW und des International Journal of the Classical Tradition (IJCT) / From the library of Prof. Wolfgang Haase, long-time editor of ANRW and the International Journal of the Classical Tradition (IJCT). - Schutzumschlag weist Randläsuren und kleine Einrisse auf, Buchrücken leicht bestoßen, sonst ein sehr gutes und sauberes Exemplar / dust jacket has edgewear and small tears, spine slightly bumped, otherwise a very good and clean copy. - John Keanes The Life and Death of Democracy will inspire and shock its readers, challenging many conventional views about the origins, meaning, and contemporary significance of democracy. Presenting the first grand history of democracy for well over a century, Keane poses along the way some tough and timely questions: Can we really be sure that democracy had its origins in ancient Greece? How did democratic ideals and institutions come to have the shape they do today? Given all the recent fanfare about democracy promotion, why are many people now gripped by the feeling that a bad moon is rising over all the worlds democracies? Do they indeed have a future? Or is democracy fated to melt away, along with our polar ice caps? The work of one of our leading political writers, a man whose writings on democracy are of world-wide importance (The Times), this is no mere antiquarian history. Stylishly written, this compelling book confronts its readers with an entirely fresh and irreverent look at the past, present, and future of democracy. It unearths the beginnings of such precious institutions and ideals as government by public assembly, votes for women, the secret ballot, trial by jury, and freedom of the press. The Life and Death of Democracy explains how and why democracy spread in modern times to Latin America, Africa, and Asia. In contexts as different as the ancient Greek city- states, medieval Europe, and contemporary China, it tracks the changing, hotly disputed meanings of democracy; retells the best jokes about it; and describes many half-forgotten charactersMartin Van Buren, Angelina Grimké, George Grote, Francisco Madero, Esther Hobart Morriswho dedicated their extraordinary lives to building or defending democracy. Keane proposes that we are now living in a new age of monitory democracy and explains why it is potentially the best form of government on earthand why democracies everywhere are sleepwalking their way into deep trouble. / CONTENTS Bad Moons, Little Dreams PART ONE : ASSEMBLY DEMOCRACY Athen West by East PART TWO : REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY On Representative Government The American Century Caudillo Democracy The European Graveyard PART THR EE: MONITORY DEMOCRACY Under the Banyan Tree Sea Changes Memories from the Future Why Democracy? New Democratic Rules Notes Photo and Illustration Credits Index. ISBN 9780393058352