Qvortrup Death by a Thousand Cuts

The Slow Demise of Democracy
1. Auflage 2021
ISBN: 978-3-11-071332-9
Verlag: De Gruyter
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, Band 1, 201 Seiten

Reihe: Democracy in Times of UpheavalISSN

Putting the current crisis of democracy into historical perspective, Death by a Thousand Cuts chronicles how would-be despots, dictators, and outright tyrants have finessed the techniques of killing democracies earlier in history, in the 20th Century, and how today’s autocrats increasingly continue to do so in the 21st. It shows how autocratic government becomes a kleptocracy, sustained only to enrich the ruler and his immediate family. But the book also addresses the problems of being a dictator and considers if dictatorships are successful in delivering public policies, and finally, how autocracies break down. We tend to think of democratic breakdowns as dramatic events, such as General Pinochet’s violent coup in Chile, or Generalissimo Franco’s overthrow of the Spanish Republic. But this is not how democracies tend to die – only five percent of democracies end like this. Most often, popular government is brought down gradually; almost imperceptibly. Based in part on Professor Qvortrup’s BBC Programme Death by a Thousand Cuts (Radio-4, 2019), the book shows how complacency is the greatest danger for the survival of government by the people. Recently democratically elected politicians have used crises as a pretext for dismantling democracy. They follow a pattern we have seen in all democracies since the dawn of civilisation. The methods used by Octavian in the dying days of the Roman Republic were almost identical to those used by Hungarian strongman Viktor Orbán in 2020. And, sadly, there are no signs that the current malaise will go away. Death by a Thousand Cuts adds substance to a much-discussed topic: the threat to democracy. It provides evidence and historical context like no other book on the market. Written in an accessible style with vignettes as well as new empirical data, the books promises to be the defining book on the topic. This book will help readers who are concerned about the longevity of democracy understand when and why democracy is in danger of collapsing, and alert them to the warning signs of its demise.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Qvortrup, Matt

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politische Systeme Totalitarismus & Diktaturen
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Geschichtliche Themen Mentalitäts- und Sozialgeschichte
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politikwissenschaft Allgemein Politische Theorie, Politische Philosophie
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politische Systeme Demokratie
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politikwissenschaft Allgemein Politische Geschichte
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politische Ideologien Nationalismus
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politische Systeme Vergleichende Politikwissenschaft

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Chapter 1: A Short History Years of Democracide
How Democracies die by stealth Democracies do not die overnight. The process is gradual, and the system is rarely dismantled officially. There are still presidential elections in Russia, Turkey and Venezuela today – just as there were elections in the authoritarian states of Japan and Poland in the 1930s. They just mean – or meant - very little. The results of elections in authoritarian states are a foregone conclusion. This has been the pattern throughout the history, Chapter One chronicles how democracies have been dismantled by stealth. It documents how history echoes and rhymes; and how present-day authoritarians successfully employ the techniques used a century ago – and even before. But the chapter also details how the new generation of demagogues have invented a whole new science of democratic destruction; how new technology is making democracies even more vulnerable than in earlier periods of history Chapter 2: Scapegoating and Spin
How Demagogues Win Power The history of elections is the history of ‘spin’. Where there are elections, there are politicians who are willing to use ‘alternative facts’ in pursuit of power. In good times, these are exposed by a vigilant and free press. But not always. New technology, economic crises, and perceived threats from ‘foreigners’ and other minorities often combine to create an environment of uncertainty. Once elected, they often clash with other institutions of such as the courts, Congress and the press, and use this as a pretext for assuming greater powers and ruling by decree. Using the case of Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori as a starting point, the chapter draws parallels, but it also points out differences between historic epochs. The chapter explains -through historical examples - why populist demagogues succeed now where they previously failed might have failed. The chapter also uses illustrations from Sinclair Lewis’ 1935 novel It Can’t Happen Here; of how “a vulgar, almost illiterate, public liar” became President of the USA, and ponders if it could happen here. Chapter 3: Voting and Autocracy
How Democracy Commits Suicide “I am the people, who are you?”, asked President Erdogan of Turkey. Shortly thereafter he held a referendum. Demagogues often hold referendums. But why? Chapter 3 looks at the strange relationship between direct democracy and dictatorship. It ponders the paradoxical problem that some of the most notorious autocrats – including Benito Mussolini, Francisco Franco, Ayatollah Khomeini, and Hugo Chávez – felt compelled to organize plebiscites. Why did they do so when they were all but certain of winning? Using examples from Napoleon Bonaparte to Vladimir Putin, Chapter 3 explains why dictators are fond of using referendums to solidify dictatorship, in short, why democracies commit suicide via referendum. Chapter 4: The Rule of (the demagogue’s) Law
How Demagogues silence opponents without breaking the rules “For my friends, everything. For my enemies, the law”, Hugo Chávez reportedly said about his tactic of undermining the opposition by using the legal system. Using the law selectively to assume powers is a classic trick. The same scheme was used to great effect by other dictators in the 20th Century. But the stratagems have been finessed in recent years with cyber-surveillance and micro-targeting of citizens. The chapter details the mechanisms of absorbing powers through formally legal means past and present. Throughout, the pattern is the same. The demagogues introduce autocracy by appealing to the legal principles and democracy. It is all (formally) done ‘by the book’. The Rule of Law is selectively used to undermine the Rechtsstaat; opponents are gradually silenced through an assorted mixture of legal trials and bribery. The examples include present-day Turkey under Erdogan, Russia under Putin, and Venezuela under Chávez and but also cases of western democracies like Spain

Über Autor(innen)

Matt Qvortrup
, Coventry University, Vereintes Königreich.

Matt Qvortrup, Coventry University, Vereintes Königreich.