Democracy

by Anthony Arblaster

/pas0/In praise of previous "...brilliant introduction." - New Statesman and Society/par0/par0/"From start to finish, Arblaster's book is stimulating and highly readable." - Times Higher/par0/par0/"...an ideal first book to place in the hands of a student embarking on the study of democracy." - Journal of Commonwealth and Comparative Politics/par0/par0/* What is the meaning of democracy?/par0/* Why has democracy provoked hostility in the past? Has the hostility entirely vanished?/par0/* How democratic are contemporary Western societies in reality and how might they be made more democratic?
/par0/The revised and updated edition of this widely acclaimed survey takes account of the very different global context in which any discussion of democracy must now take place, including the mighty power of the multinationals vis-a-vis elected governments, the resurgence of the idea of an Islamic alternative to the Western democratic ideal, and the suggestion that unelected but powerful international bodies are effectively eroding the authority of the democratic state. Anthony Arblaster looks first at the history of both the theory and practice of democracy, and the fierce opposition it has often provoked, showing how the representative version of democracy we are now familiar with was a relatively late arrival on the scene. He finds the core of the idea of democracy in the notion of popular power, and in the second part of the book he explores the meaning of this and the problems it involves. Drawing on the classic writings of Rousseau, Paine and John Stuart Mill, he shows how wide the gap is between their vision of a fully democratic society and the limited realities of the Western democracies of today. Democracy, he argues, remains a relevant ideal and a challenge to much conventional political thinking, as well as to the centralizing tendencies of global power.

Genres: Nonfiction

144 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1988

Reviews

[Amirsaman · Rating 2 out of 5]

سوالای اساسی دموکراسی رو که همه بلدیم و نیازی هم نبود نویسنده تکرارشون کنه؛ این‌که از یونان بحث سر این بود که آیا واقعا قدرت و سیاست‌ورزی رو باید داد دست توده‌ی احمق و این صحبتا. اما نویسنده به بیشتر این سوالات پاسخی نمی‌ده. با تکثرِ یک جامعه‌ی دموکراتیک چه کنیم؟ «حالا با هم بسازیم و قانع کنیم و رسانه داشته باشیم و اگر هم نشد، من دیگه نمی‌دونم.» یه نتیجه‌ی سرراستِ کتاب (که نویسنده معترفه ایده‌ش کپی‌پیست هست) هم این بود که حالا گیریم دموکراسی و حق رای رو بدست آوردیم، اما برابری اقتصادی و اجتماعی هم لزوما باید همراهش باشه، وگرنه چرا ما برای این‌که حرفمون رو بزنیم باید بشینیم طومار و امضا جمع کنیم ولی فلان شرکت یه چشم و ابرو نشون بده کافیه. و این‌که نهادهای کمی رو اونا (تو غرب) تونستن دموکراتیزه کنند، و دموکراسی در محل کار و خیلی جاهای غول که از نظارت و رای مستقیم یا غیرمستقیم به دوره، وجود نداره و باید حواسمون باشه و خیلی زود کلاهِ پیروزی دموکراسی رو به هوا نندازیم.

[Sofia · Rating 1 out of 5]

pensum bok, men lest hele så regnes som lest?

[Nicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm glad I actually picked this book to write my essay on. It's got a clear and easy to read style, for a start, which sticks in the mind better than the more confusing pontificating some philosophers do. Arblaster also raises some important points about to the extent to which Britain is democratic -- to be honest, I have to feel after reading the book and thinking about it, that Britain is hardly democratic at all. Very, very interesting to think about.

[Simen Khan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gøy, god, nyttig.
Lettlest intro til demokratiteori og politisk idéhistorie.

[Ginny]

Found this book on one of Andy's bookshelves and fits in with teaching the American Revolution.