Tyranny of the Minority

Why American Democracy Reached the Breaking Point

By: Steven Levitsky, Daniel Ziblatt

Narrated by: Fred Sanders

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A call to reform our antiquated political institutions before it’s too late—from the authors of How Democracies Die

“[Levitsky and Ziblatt] write with terrifying clarity about how the forces of the right have co-opted the enshrined rules to exert their tyranny.”—The Washington Post

ONE OF THE CALIFORNIA REVIEW OF BOOKS’ TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR • A NEWSWEEK BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

America is undergoing a massive experiment: It is moving, in fits and starts, toward a multiracial democracy, something few societies have ever done. But the prospect of change has sparked an authoritarian backlash that threatens the very foundations of our political system. Why is democracy under assault here, and not in other wealthy, diversifying nations? And what can we do to save it?

With the clarity and brilliance that made their first book, How Democracies Die, a global bestseller, Harvard professors Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt 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 Most modern democracies—from Germany and Sweden to Argentina and New Zealand—have eliminated outdated institutions like elite upper chambers, indirect elections, and lifetime tenure for judges.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.

In this revelatory book, Levitsky and Ziblatt issue an urgent call to reform our politics. It’s a daunting task, but we have remade our country before—most notably, after the Civil War and during the Progressive Era. And now we are at a crossroads: America will either become a multiracial democracy or cease to be a democracy at all.

©2023 Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt (P)2023 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“A minority of voters can now inflict a legislative wallop of racism, sexism, nativism, homophobia, transphobia, and economic misery on the rest of us—and never have to pay for it at the polls. This is the ‘tyranny of the minority’ that Levitsky and Ziblatt rightly fear. No lawless strongman or populist autocracy, it’s a product of the very Constitution that we have been taught to admire.”—The New Yorker

“Why has American democracy come so close to a breaking point while other Western democracies appear more stable? In this sobering study, Levitsky and Ziblatt blame the United States’ eighteenth-century constitutional order for its modern democratic woes.”—Foreign Affairs

“[Daniel] Ziblatt and [Steven] Levitsky are two of America’s very best comparative political scientists, with expertise that makes them uniquely well-equipped for the subject they’re examining. . . . Tyranny of the Minority is one of the best guides out there to the crisis of American democracy.”—Vox

Thorough and enlightening call for saving our rights as citizens

The history reiterated from How Democracy fails is more deeply diagnosed and calls forth what is needed from everyone and how everything needs to be questioned and resolved. The malaise originally suggested by President Jimmy Carter is now more prevalent and more deeply realized that to fail to correct spells tragedies we beyond our imagination. The need to act urgently is illuminated by this treatise.

Accessible and persuasive. Thank you for writing the book.

Accessible and persuasive. Thank you for writing the book. This is a great reminder and a resource.

Great clarity on a topic of vital significance.

The forces of authoritarian are on the March in America. This book clearly explains how we got here, the seriousness of the situation we are facing today, and what is needed to save our Country from the slow slide into minority rule. Highly recommended reading.

The overall message must be heard

This book does a masterful job of showing how we got here and what we must do to survive as a democracy. It should be a text assigned in High school social studies government classes as well universities.

Simply put…a MUST read!

Just read it… 100 worth it! Enlightening and thought provoking while giving a timeline on historical democracy.

The Challenges of Democracy: Brilliantly Written and Explained

This is a must-listen if you are at all interested in maintaining our democracy as well as learning about others from around the world throughout history.

brilliant analysis of some of the flaws in American democracy

Clear and incisive analysis of the many counter- majoritarian elements embedded in our constitution and our institutions and terrific explanation of why we are a minority ruled country to a large extent

What to do

Although some of the described events in this book are a hard pill to swallow, the book gives hope and ideas for action and a brighter future. A realistic history lesson.

Tyranny of the Minority

The threat to democracy is still free despite 91 criminal charges, 4 indictments and 2 impeachments. This is a story of how tyrants have gotten away with toppling, almost toppling and may topple democracy if not imprisoned. The daily revelations of Trump’s crimes like revealing nuclear submarine secrets to our enemies or stealing of top secret documents should have automatically landed him in prison for the rest of his life. This book lists his crimes and builds a good case to arrest and imprison him, yet he’s running again for president with the endorsement of the Republican MAGA right. As the authors posit, if it were Obama who had his criminal record, he’d be thrown in jail in a heartbeat. Trump continues to take up oxygen. Lock him up and throw away the keys!!!

Foundational

I cannot find fault in any aspect of this book. It should be required reading for all Americans.