Toward Democracy: The Struggle for Self-Rule in European and American Thought

by James T. Kloppenberg

In this magnificent and encyclopedic overview, James T. Kloppenberg presents the history of democracy from the perspective of those who struggled to envision and achieve it. The story of democracy remains one without an ending, a dynamic of progress and regress that continues to our own day. In the classical age "democracy" was seen as the failure rather than the ideal of good governance. Democracies were deemed chaotic and bloody, indicative of rule by the rabble rather than by enlightened minds. Beginning in the 16th and 17th centuries, however, first in Europe and then in England's North American colonies, the reputation of democracy began to rise, resulting in changes that were sometimes revolutionary and dramatic, sometimes gradual and incremental.

Kloppenberg offers a fresh look at how concepts and institutions of representative government developed and how understandings of self-rule changed over time on both sides of the Atlantic. Notions about what constituted true democracy preoccupied many of the most influential thinkers of the Western world, from Montaigne and Roger Williams to Milton and John Locke; from Rousseau and Jefferson to Wollstonecraft and Madison; and from de Tocqueville and J. S. Mill to Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. Over three centuries, explosive ideas and practices of democracy sparked revolutions--English, American, and French--that again and again culminated in civil wars, disastrous failures of democracy that impeded further progress.

Comprehensive, provocative, and authoritative, Toward Democracy traces self-government through three pivotal centuries. The product of twenty years of research and reflection, this momentous work reveals how nations have repeatedly fallen short in their attempts to construct democratic societies based on the principles of autonomy, equality, deliberation, and reciprocity that they have claimed to prize. Underlying this exploration lies Kloppenberg's compelling conviction that democracy was and remains an ethical ideal rather than merely a set of institutions, a goal toward which we continue to struggle.

Genres: History, Politics, American History, European History, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Political Science

912 pages, Hardcover

First published June 2, 2016

Reviews

[Gregory · Rating 5 out of 5]

A masterpiece of intellectual history that examines the development of the concept of democracy from the 1500s to the American Civil War. Democracy transformed from a slur to the idealized form of government. Kloppenberg examines the thought and intellectual contributions of dozens of individuals as the core democratic concepts of popular sovereignty, reciprocity, equality, and rights emerged. Three things really stand out to me. First, the democracy was born in violence. It emerges and is defined in through war, rebellion, purges, coups, and civil strife. Second, the importance of religion in the time the Reformation and religious warfare. Third, the democracy that emerges in Europe after the French Revolution is different from that which developed in the United States though the American Revolution and Constitution. the French variant had no room for discourse or religion, which were two key concepts in the United States. In terms of American figures, for whatever its worth, I think Kloppenberg is a little harsh on John Adams and little too lenient on Thomas Jefferson.

[Patricia Romero · Rating 5 out of 5]

Toward Democracy takes us on a ride through history not only in America but through Europe as well.
With the thoughts and experiences of our forefathers as well as the views of Tocqueville, Rousseau, and many more including Montesquieu and Robespierre, the author gives us many different views and definitions of democracy.
It is a fact that democracy came out of violence and that violence is still happening, things are ever evolving where democracy is concerned.

As a lover of all things History, this was a wonderful look into the opinions and facts of how we got where we are today and maybe even a bit of a warning for us. I don't think this book could have come at a better time in our history.
How will it all turn out? What will our democracy cost us? This should be mandatory reading in our schools!

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Oxford University Press in exchange for an honest review.

[David Montano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kloppenberg's breadth of material here is pretty astounding, readers are taken through several centuries of European (see: Western) political philosophy and thought dedicated to ethical prerogatives which serve as the bedrock for a democratic government. Special attention is given to three states: Great Britain, Colonial/Antebellum America, France and the multiple civil conflicts and social revolutions that harmed or advanced the cause of democracy. Like most intellectual history surveys, Toward Democracy develops chronologically in a natural, completely readable manner. I especially enjoyed where the survey started in earnest, during the English Civil War and its aftermath. Kloppenberg does an exceptional job summarizing this portion of history, sketching out the very limited trust monarchial governments had in common folk self-governing democratically. These biases ended up being the prejudice Enlightenment and American philosophers inherited in their quest to realize a form of government more consistent with reason and liberty.

But what was really worth checking out and deserving of special commendation was the entire "Part II" of the book reviewing the evolution of America struggle for independence to ratifying the constitution in 1787. Masterfully written and wholly consistent with the ethical framework Kloppenberg sets up in the introduction, everything falls to place and is thoroughly explained in a neat manner. Also, I really appreciated the barbs that Kloppenberg throws in explaining how inconsistent some founder’s democratic ideals were when it came to slavery and women's rights.

Lacking in compelling analysis between each state and suffering a little from repeating its thesis a lot, Toward Democracy is a solid entry to democratic studies that are becoming more popular by the day.

But what was really worth checking out and deserving of special commendation was the entire "Part II" of the book reveiwing the evolution of America struggle for independence to ratifiying the constitution in 1787. Masterfully written and wholly consistent with the ethical framework Kloppenberg sets up in the introduction, everything falls to place and is througouhly explained in a neat manner. Also I really appreciated the barbs that Kloppenberg throws in explaining how inconsistent some founders democratic ideals were when it came to slavery and women's rights.

Lacking in compelling analysis between each state and suffering a little from repeating its thesis alot, Toward Democracy is a solid entry to democratic studies that are becoming more popular by the day.

Rating: 4/5

[Graeme · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5. Characteristically thorough and admirable in its ambitious scope. Despite the transatlantic nature of his work for the last thirty years or more, Kloppenberg remains in large measure a US historian. His grasp of French history is firm but not strong and depends overmuch on Tocqueville and Furet. His account of democracy suffers from a patrician mistrust of radical democrats while celebrating the minority rights they championed. He also suffers that affliction of so many Harvard historians: the conviction that New England is a unique and special place.

[Adrian Fanaca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about the origins of democracy, democracies in North America, the English Civil >war, 1688, Enlightenment, America, American Independence, American Democracy, French Revolution, Terror, the problems with democratic cutlures in Europe and USA and the tragic irony of democracy. As I do not remember a single thing after reading it, I cannot give it more than 3 stars.

[Mark Elliott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Essential reading. Few people think deeply about what democracy means or what it requires to function successfully and this book explains so much by surveying its historical origins. Its like a prequel to Tocqueville.

[Daniel Schotman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stunning and impressive read.
If you know what democracy is you first must know how it came about, not to mention if you want to protect how it will end.

My only comment here would be that it should have started with the Dutch Declaration Of Independence instead the Civil War in England.

[Praveen Kishore · Rating 5 out of 5]

A classic!
Must read for anyone interested in democracy and the development of democratic ideas in Atlantic world.

[J Earl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Toward Democracy by James T. Kloppenberg is a comprehensive history of the thoughts and actions that have helped to form the ever-changing concept of democracy. Democracy is, in Kloppenberg's view, less a political or even a social or economic concept but rather an ethical one, so the changing "definitions" of democracy over the centuries have been influenced by far more than just political theory or political change.

This is not a difficult read, Kloppenberg does a commendable job of discussing many thinkers in terms that are readily understood by those unfamiliar with the philosophers and historians mentioned. He also readily acknowledges that not every writer who ever wrote a word about self-rule is included in this work. He does cover those who had the greatest impact and certainly didn't cover those who did not write about self-rule (Darwin, really?!?!). If one has a narrow view and wants only one definition of democracy to be presented and defended they can ignore the arguments of the book and lament their little strawmen. There are plenty of biased accounts of "what is wrong with" or "how they (depending on the bias present) ruined" democracy. This is a history and, while Kloppenberg clearly states how he views the concept of democracy (an ethical system) he also tries to demonstrate (successfully in my opinion) the various cultural, religious and political conflicts that have served to hinder the advancement of successful equitable self-rule.

This is the type of book that will warrant additional reading beyond one time through. Likely, in my case, it will be a more haphazard reread because it will be a reference book for me and I will be returning to various sections at different times in the future.

I would highly recommend this to anyone wanting to know a history (not "the" history, as he also points out) of democracy and self-rule as it pertains primarily to Europe and North America. The writers go back much further but the period and region of concern is the North Atlantic and from approximately the time of the Reformation. This is both an excellent read as well as a valuable reference.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.

[Arkrayder · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book free from NetGalley and Oxford University Press in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This was an extremely well-written, academic style book. The level of researched that must of went into this book is superb and, to be enjoyed at its fullest, it must be read at a steady pace with a fair bit of concentration. Professor Kloppenberg suggests that the revolutions of Europe i.e. the French revolutions, and America's civil war have been unpredictable injurious for democracy.

I am a fan of all things History, and deeply interested in how democracy was established in the U.S. and reading this book was a fantastic look into the different events and circumstances which lead to how the U.S. got where it is today. It also has a word of caution to us in regards to the future of democracy and how wealth has become a danger to its continuance.

This book is an excellent summarizing of some incredibly momentous moments in the history of democracy and is a joy to read. It filled me with hope for the continuation of democracy, its humble beginnings as the glue to creating a nation from thirteen original colonies is awe inspiring and shows what good can be found in human kind. But it also left me a bit fearful as to democracies perpetuation, with the forces at work on it today, can it survive or have we turned down a path which will result in its demise.

This book is a must read.