Resentment fuels polarization.
Each individual step seems minor—none appears to truly threaten democracy. Indeed, government moves to subvert democracy frequently enjoy a veneer of legality: They are approved by parliament or ruled...
Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa used this approach. His multimillion-dollar defamation suits and jailing of journalists on charges of defamation had a powerfully chilling effect on the media.
The easiest way to deal with potential opponents is to buy them off.
Yet Ford was also a widely admired, even beloved, figure in the United States, especially in the Midwest. A poor farm boy who made good, the plainspoken businessman was revered by many rural Americans...
The Plot Against America, American novelist Philip Roth builds
The Depression also gave rise to Louisiana governor and senator Huey Long, who called himself the Kingfish. Long was described by the historian Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. as the great demagogue of the...
That brings us to a final factor shaping President Trump’s ability to damage our democracy: crisis. Major security crises—wars or large-scale terrorist attacks—are political game changers. Almost inva...
Senator Joseph McCarthy, who used the Cold War fear of communist subversion to promote blacklisting, censorship, and book banning, enjoyed wide backing among the American public. At
It was not unusual for figures such as Coughlin, Long, McCarthy, and Wallace to gain the support of a sizable minority - 30 or even 40 percent - of the country. We often tell ourselves that America's...
When major businesses join progressive boycotts, they often succeed.
The police can crack down on opposition protest while tolerating acts of violence by progovernment thugs
Deberíamos preocuparnos en serio cuando un político: 1) rechaza, ya sea de palabra o mediante acciones, las reglas democráticas del juego, 2) niega la legitimidad de sus oponentes, 3) tolera o alienta...
By 1936, Spain’s nascent democracy had degenerated into a civil war.
Whether real or not, would-be authoritarians are primed to exploit crises to justify power grabs.
When gatekeeping institutions fail, mainstream politicians must do everything possible to keep dangerous figures away from the centers of power.
The Tea Party questioned President Obama’s very right to be president.
President Trump also attacked judges who ruled against him.
Players who cannot be bought must be weakened by other means.
I love the old days. You know what they used to do to guys like that when they were in a place like this? They’d be carried out on a stretcher, folks. It’s true….I’d like to punch him in the face, I’l...