Can Democracy Work?: A Short History of a Radical Idea, from Ancient Athens to Our World

By James Miller

Democracy today is widely regarded as an ideal form of government. Yet in practice it sometimes seems a sham, a political puppet show in which hidden elites pull all the strings.

As trust in elected representatives around the world plunges, it is no wonder that democratic revolts have erupted – from Cairo to Kiev and beyond – in an effort to ‘take back control’.

In this urgent and lively history, James Miller reminds us that democracy has always generated tensions and contradictions. Through philosophical debates and violent uprisings, it has been contested, corrupted, and refined. In different times and different places – from ancient Athens to revolutionary France to post-war America – its meaning has shifted in surprising ways.

For over two thousand years, the world has experimented with democracy. But can it really work – especially in complex modern societies?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Oneworld Publications
• Release date: Oct 4, 2018
• ISBN: 9781786074034

James Miller

James Miller is a professor of politics and the chair of liberal studies at the New School for Social Research. He is the author of The Passion of Michel Foucault and Flowers in the Dustbin: The Rise of Rock & Roll, 1947–1977, among other books. He lives in New York City.

Reviews for Can Democracy Work?

[auntmarge64 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

If you thought the definition of "democracy" was cut and dried, think again. This history of the philosophy and practice of democracy, first in ancient Greece and then in France, the U.S., England, Europe and Russia, is bound to make you despair of ever settling on a definition, let alone a satisfactory political system that everyone would agree is democratic.Does pure democracy demand that each opinion be allowed equal voice, and each vote be directly counted? No major entity has that today. Is representative democracy, as in the U.S., still a democracy? Just how many steps removed are we from a real democracy by using the Electoral College? On the other hand, is pure democracy even workable in a complicated world with such large populations? How would each person's voice ever be heard without the situation descending into either anarchy or a dictatorship with a few strongmen (women?) maneuvering to speak for the group? Do we even care if we live in a real democracy, or are we so busy with our lives, and so easily manipulated by catch phrases and people who seem to think like we do, that we are happy to let them speak and act for us?This book made my head hurt. I'm really glad I read it, but I despair now of there ever being a government that can adequately serve all it's people and their needs. We need the Vulcans to come and teach us to be logical, but even they argued.