1st Edition

Politics of Democratic Breakdown

By Gangsheng Bao Copyright 2022
406 Pages 16 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

406 Pages 16 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

406 Pages 16 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

Democratic breakdown as a political and historic event can impact the fate of millions, if not hundreds of millions of people, by changing the political complexion of a country. This book attempts to systematically explain why democracies collapse. The author's main theoretical argument is based on the examination of two factors. One is political cleavages among voters. These can cause serious... Read more
Part I: Theory of Democratic Breakdown, 1. Introduction: A New Explanation of Democratic Breakdown, 2. The Logic of Political Cleavages, 3. Political Institutions and Centrifugal Democracy, Part II: Case Studies, 4. Democratic Breakdown in the Weimar Republic, 5. Ethnic Conflicts and the Dilemma of Democracy in Nigeria, 6. Class Conflict and the Failure of Chile's Democracy, 7. The Miracle of Indian Democracy and its Constitution, Part III: Conclusion and Implications, 8. Conclusion: How to Avoid the Failure of Young Democracies?

Biography

Gangsheng Bao is a Professor of Political Science at the School of International Relations and Public Affairs, Fudan University, China. He earned his PhD in Political Science from Peking University (2012) and was a visiting scholar at the Department of Government, Harvard University (academic year 2019–2020). He focuses on political theory and comparative politics; his other work includes The Logic of Democracy (2018). Dr. Bao’s online course "30 Lectures on Politics" has more than 38,000 students. His book was named the "Best Social Science Book of the Year 2014" by The Beijing News, and he was recognized as the "Best Author of the Year 2018" by The Economic Observer.