The Backsliders: Why Leaders Undermine Their Own Democracies

by Susan C. Stokes

Why democracy is under assault across the globe by the leaders entrusted to preserve it

Democracies around the world are getting swept up in a wave of democratic erosion. Since the beginning of the twenty-first century, two dozen presidents and prime ministers have attacked their countries’ democratic institutions, violating political norms, aggrandizing their own powers, and often trying to overstay their terms in office.

The Backsliders offers the first general explanation for this wave. Drawing on a wealth of original research, Susan Stokes shows that increasing income inequality, a legacy of late twentieth-century globalization, left some countries especially at risk of backsliding toward autocracy. Left-behind voters were drawn to right-wing ethnonationalist leaders in countries like the United States, India, and Brazil, and to left-wing populist ones in countries like Venezuela, Mexico, and South Africa.

Unlike military leaders who abruptly kill democracies in coups, elected leaders who erode them gradually must maintain some level of public support. They do so by encouraging polarization among citizens and also by trash-talking their claiming that the institutions they attack are corrupt and incompetent. They tell voters that these institutions should be torn down and replaced by ones under the executive’s control. The Backsliders describes how journalists, judges, NGOs, and opposition leaders can put the brakes on democratic erosion, and how voters can do so through political engagement and the power of the ballot box.

Genres: Politics, Political Science, Science

251 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 9, 2025

Reviews

[Margaret Sereno]

I enjoyed this book as a layperson not enrolled in a class where it would be required reading. The author allowed me to think more clearly about many messy issues in contemporary society without forcing me to do any problem solving. She seems to explore democratic societies by doing content analyses of their leaders' speeches, analyzing the impact of their rhetoric on the citizens. I was fascinated by this and by the evidence she found about the ways in which communication strategies used by leaders of democracies erode the democratic framework that allowed those leaders access to power in the first place. I was drawn in by her reference to Manichean thought, a view that simplifies complex situations into positive vs. negative dichotomies, often leading to a rejection of compromise and an intolerance for ambiguity; and I was encouraged to think further about many issues in contemporary society. This is a wonderful book, in my opinion.

[Erik Versavel]

I very much liked the main proposition of the book which is that societies with increased inequality see higher risk of the development of autocracy, which is what is meant with backsliders. The way the author describes this and describes the playbook actions are really great. That is the first part or introduction of the book, and somehow one hopes that the book will continue to describe and provide extensive examples of where and how this is happening. The second part of the book however proceeds with the analysis of how political parties have moved positions and how electorates how moved with them, and that is then based on methodologies which result in X - Y axes. This is conceptually very interesting, but in reality not exactly why one would start reading the book, and what the title hints it might bring. Still, it is a solid 4 star in my mind :)

[Temilade]

This is one of those books that quietly reshapes how you see current events. I found myself constantly pausing to connect her arguments to real-world leaders and situations. The idea that democratic erosion happens with public support not just force, really stuck with me. It’s not a light read, but it’s a deeply rewarding one.

[Rosalind]

I’m not from a political science background, but this book made complex ideas feel accessible. What really stood out was how leaders can undermine systems while convincing people they’re fixing them. That contradiction is explained so clearly here.

[Stella]

This feels like a book that’s meant to be talked about. I can already imagine how different readers would interpret some of the arguments differently. Do voters enable democratic erosion, or are they reacting to deeper issues? The book doesn’t oversimplify, which I appreciated.

[Sherry]

The first half completely pulled me in—the framework around backsliding is sharp and convincing. The later sections, especially the more data-driven analysis, felt a bit dense for my taste. Still, I came away with a much clearer understanding of how democracies weaken over time.

[Nicholas]

What I found most powerful is the idea that democratic decline isn’t always dramatic—it’s gradual and often justified along the way. That’s a bit unsettling, honestly. This book made me pay closer attention to political language and narratives.

[Daniel]

Stokes does a great job connecting global patterns with underlying causes like inequality and political shifts. I especially liked how she doesn’t just diagnose the problem but also points to the role of institutions and citizens in slowing it down.

[Jennifer]

One thing I kept wondering while reading: Are democracies more fragile than we like to admit? This book doesn’t give easy answers, but it definitely pushes you to think harder about that question. Not always an easy read, but definitely a meaningful one.

[Elliot Earles]

Very important information, not the most interesting read.

[Miles Huh]

Good, for class.

[Carl]

Important topic, solid research, but not the easiest read. I appreciated the ideas more than the experience of reading it. Probably better suited for readers who enjoy academic-style analysis.

[Lottie C]

4.5⭐️

Valuable insight to understand the decline of democracy in the West. I’m a PhD student in political science, and this topic is of endless fascination to me, so glad it was informative