America is undergoing a massive experiment: It is moving, in fits and starts, toward a multiracial democracy, something few societies have ever done. The prospect of change has sparked an authoritarian backlash that threatens the very foundations of our political system. Why is democracy under assault in the United States, and not in other wealthy, diversifying nations? And what can we do to save it?
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In their new book, Ziblatt and his co-author Steven Levitsky offer a coherent framework for understanding these volatile times. They draw on a wealth of examples—from 1930s France to present-day Thailand—to explain why and how political parties turn against democracy. They then show how our Constitution makes us uniquely vulnerable to attacks from within: It is a pernicious enabler of minority rule, allowing partisan minorities to consistently thwart and even rule over popular majorities. Most modern democracies—from Germany and Sweden to Argentina and New Zealand—have eliminated outdated institutions like elite upper chambers, indirect elections, and lifetime tenure for judges. The United States lags dangerously behind.
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Together with Levitsky, Ziblatt issues an urgent call to perfect our national experiment. It’s a daunting task, but the country has been remade our country before—most notably, after the Civil War and during the Progressive Era. And now America is at a crossroads: It will either become a multiracial democracy or cease to be a democracy at all.

Photo: Daniel Ziblatt © Annette Hornischer