Destroying Democracy: Neoliberal capitalism and the rise of authoritarian politics

by Michelle Williams (Editor), Jane Duncan, Linda Gordon

A history of the erosion of democracy across the globe

Democracy is being destroyed. This is a crisis that expresses itself in the rising authoritarianism visible in divisive and exclusionary politics, populist political parties and movements, increased distrust in fact-based information and news, and the withering accountability of state institutions. Over the last four decades, democracy has radically shifted to a market democracy in which all aspects of human, non-human and planetary life are commodified, with corporations becoming more powerful than states and their citizens. This is how neoliberal capitalism functions at a systemic level and if left unchecked, is the greatest threat to democracy and a sustainable planet.

Volume six of the Democratic Marxism series focuses on how decades of neoliberal capitalism have eroded the global democratic project and how, in the process, authoritarian politics are gaining ground. Scholars and activists from the political left focus on four country cases – India, Brazil, South Africa and the United States of America – in which the COVID-19 pandemic has fuelled and highlighted the pre-existing crisis. They interrogate issues of politics, ecology, state security, media, access to information and political parties, and affirm the need to reclaim and re-build an expansive and inclusive democracy.

Destroying Democracy is an invaluable resource for the general public, activists, scholars and students who are interested in understanding the threats to democracy and the rising tide of authoritarianism in the global south and the global north.

391 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 1, 2021

About the author

Michelle was born in Cheltenham in 1973, where she has lived all her life - and continues to do so. She had a solid upbringing and was educated at local state schools.

Michelle started working for the NHS when she was twenty years old, two years as a Health Care Assistant and then eight years as a Senior Health Care Assistant for people with learning disabilities and challenging behaviour in Community Homes.

At the age of thirty - ten years on - Michelle was lucky enough to land the role of Anatomical Pathology Technician at Cheltenham General Hospital. Now - five years on from that - she holds the title of Mortuary Manager at Cheltenham General Hospital.

Michelle studied and successfully sat the Certificate and Diploma exams from the Royal Institute of Public Health in Anatomical Pathology Technology, this allowing Michelle to use the the letters CAPT and DAPT after her name.

The idea for the book came to Michelle about two years ago as she was working in the Mortuary. She mentioned to a colleague that she could write a book about her time as a Mortuary Technician, her colleague - himself a published author - encouraged Michelle to write a few pages and submit them to him.

He liked what he saw and recommended Michelle to a Publisher, who subsequently commissioned Michelle to finish it. Hence the first book was written - and two years later - on sale.