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Democracy
An investigation of the origins of democracy in a range of countries and societies, from ancient Greece to modern times, and the threats that democracy is under today. An excellent introduction to democracy for young adults.
In this eye-opening work, political scientist and award-winning author James Laxer warns readers that our common assumptions about democracy — that it is a natural progression of advanced societies and that it is on the rise worldwide — are misguided. Democracy, in fact, is very fragile.
Showcasing examples from all over the world, this book explains the rise of democracy in the twentieth century and examines the current status of democracy in advanced countries and in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America. Laxer warns that globalization and the widening gap between the rich and poor threaten to weaken democracy and the vigor of democratic regimes — even in countries where it has been long established.
"[The Groundwork Guides] are excellent books, mandatory for school libraries and the increasing body of young people prepared to take ownership of the situations and problems previous generations have left them." — Globe and Mail
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.1
Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.2
Determine a central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.3
Analyze in detail how a key individual, event, or idea is introduced, illustrated, and elaborated in a text (e.g., through examples or anecdotes).
In this eye-opening work, political scientist and award-winning author James Laxer warns readers that our common assumptions about democracy — that it is a natural progression of advanced societies and that it is on the rise worldwide — are misguided. Democracy, in fact, is very fragile.
Showcasing examples from all over the world, this book explains the rise of democracy in the twentieth century and examines the current status of democracy in advanced countries and in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America. Laxer warns that globalization and the widening gap between the rich and poor threaten to weaken democracy and the vigor of democratic regimes — even in countries where it has been long established.
"[The Groundwork Guides] are excellent books, mandatory for school libraries and the increasing body of young people prepared to take ownership of the situations and problems previous generations have left them." — Globe and Mail
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.1
Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.2
Determine a central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.3
Analyze in detail how a key individual, event, or idea is introduced, illustrated, and elaborated in a text (e.g., through examples or anecdotes).
- GenresPolitics
139 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2009
About the author
James Laxer
40 books8 followersJames Laxer was a Canadian political economist and professor at York University.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 9, 2015
Democracy/Mr.Cornwell-Wright/3B/7th
This book is political and nonfiction.
It has 144 pages.
This book has no Lexile score.
Democracy is a book that shows the history of democracy and how it has changed. Also,it shows what democracy is, including the original democracy. Laxer does a great job predicting the future of democracy too. Although two page long pop up notes are annoying and distract you of the book, they are informative. The book also has examples of times without democracy and everything that had to be done so it was reached. Laxer does a great job bringing the story of humanity and democracy together to create a good, informative book.
This book is political and nonfiction.
It has 144 pages.
This book has no Lexile score.
Democracy is a book that shows the history of democracy and how it has changed. Also,it shows what democracy is, including the original democracy. Laxer does a great job predicting the future of democracy too. Although two page long pop up notes are annoying and distract you of the book, they are informative. The book also has examples of times without democracy and everything that had to be done so it was reached. Laxer does a great job bringing the story of humanity and democracy together to create a good, informative book.
March 10, 2011
I would not recommend this book. I have no expertise in world history or politics, so the idea of a short guide on the topic of democracy was appealing. The book has a general structure but each chapter seems to ramble often lacking transitions within the subtopics. I consider this to be an okay read to get a general idea of a big topic, but it felt very inconsistent on the focus and detail on each topic. In my opinion, the book failed to be either a quick overview or a comprehensive guide. My time would have been better spent reading through Wikipedia articles.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews