The Life and Death of Democracy [Hardcover]

John Keane (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 17, 2009

From Plato to de Tocqueville to Fukuyama—an epic history of the governing philosophy that has defined Western history.

In the grand tradition of Paul Kennedy’s The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers comes this provocative history of world democracy, which begins with the ancient Myceans and ends in our fractious present. Overturning long-cherished notions, John Keane poses challenging questions: Did democracy actually begin in ancient Greece or earlier in Mesopotamia? Do the American and British systems actually live up to their democratic ideals? Why is there a bad moon rising over the world’s democracies? Written by a leading political theorist, this book presents readers with a counterintuitive look at democracy’s past, present, and future, which Keane argues lies not in the West but in the turbulent democracies of the East, especially in India. Avoiding the triumphalism of global democracy’s most boisterous pundits, Keane cautions that democracy today is more fragile than ever and that, unless major corrective measures are taken, we may be sleepwalking our way into even deeper trouble.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Looking beyond the Athens-Runnymede-Philadelphia axis, political scholar Keane (Tom Paine) traces democracy's roots back to Sumeria and follows its tendrils as far afield as Pitcairn Island and Papua New Guinea. (A revelatory chapter on India's banyan democracy suggests that democracy's center of gravity has shifted decisively eastward.) Less interested in theory than actuality, he gives Locke, Madison and their ilk short shrift to make room for engrossing profiles of obscure politicians and reformers—medieval Spain's cortes (parliaments); José Batlle y Ordóñez, president of Uruguay in the early 20th century; the Australian progressives who pioneered proportional representation and women's suffrage—whose efforts built democracy from the ground up. Democracy thus emerges as less a set of fixed principles than a culture and mindset—pragmatic, antiauthoritarian, accepting of change and contingency and the ability of ordinary people to shape them. Keane's lack of theoretical rigor sometimes tells; his vision of a developing monitory democracy, characterized by a hypervigilant civil society, all-seeing media and viral politics seems more faddish than focused. But his study's broad sweep, wealth of detailed knowledge, shrewd insights and fluent, lively prose make it a must-read for scholars and citizens alike. Photos. (Aug.)
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Review

Starred Review. Traces democracy's roots back to Sumeria and follows its tendrils as far afield as Pitcairn Island and Papua New Guinea….engrossing profiles of obscure politicians and reformers…his study's broad sweep, wealth of detailed knowledge, shrewd insights and fluent, lively prose make it a must-read for scholars and citizens alike. (Publishers Weekly )

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 992 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company (August 17, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393058352
• ISBN-13: 978-0393058352
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.6 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #706,400 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars `The subject of democracy is full of enigmas, confusions, things that are supposed to be true.', February 14, 2011

By 

J. Cameron-Smith "Expect the Unexpected" (ACT, Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Life and Death of Democracy (Hardcover)

This book is an interesting, illuminating and entertaining look at democracy. It's also a sizeable read: at just under 1000 pages. John Keane's purpose in writing this book was to examine and appraise democracy, to look at its origins, its history, its purpose and practice.

John Keane traces the roots of democracy to the Myceneans of the Bronze Age, about a thousand years before it appeared in 5th century BCE Athens. He argues that it first arose in the East (Iran, Iraq and Syria) but it was in Athens that a recognisably democratic polis was shaped. In this form of assembly democracy, the communal gathering place (the agora) was critical. It was where, over two centuries, self-government was practised until ended by repeated Macedonian invasions.

After assembly democracy, a form of representative democracy began to emerge in Europe during the tenth century CE.
`The first parliament was born of despair. In March 1188 - Alfonso IX convened the first cortes in Léon.'

By the 16th century, many people were still indifferent to the idea of democracy, and even by the 18th century, support for the notion of representative democracy was not widespread. Early European parliaments were often exploited by monarchs, or (in cities like Florence and Venice) dominated by oligarchs and plutocrats. The execution of Charles I in England in the early 17th century changed the political horizon immeasurably. Keane notes that the American revolutionaries warned against an `excess of democracy' and it was James Madison's talk of `refining the popular appointments by successive filtrations' that pushed the Founding Fathers to accept a lower house based on popular election.

There's discussion of what Keane calls the `American Century', including some interesting insights into the forging of the Constitution as a defence `against the perceived vices of democracy'. There is discussion as well of various democratic experiments in South America, as well as of the Indian democratic experience. Keane calls the India `democracy's most compound, turbulent and interesting prototype.'

Keane argues that a new form of democracy is developing. He calls this `monitory democracy'.
`Monitory democracy is a new historical form of democracy, a variety of `post-parliamentary' politics defined by the rapid growth of many different kinds of extra- parliamentary, power-scrutinising mechanisms.' These differently sized monitory bodies include all sorts of associations, tribunals and non-government organisations (NGOs).

The book concludes with John Keane as an `imaginary historian writing 50 years from now', offering a perspective on what democracy then might look like, and an evaluation of some of current trends in democracy.

There's a wealth of fact in this book, well as some interesting speculation about the future of democracy. I can easily believe that it took John Keane over a decade to research and write. It's a great history, and I know I'll be referring to it again in future.

`Democracy is never more alive than when it senses its incompleteness. It thrives on imperfection.'

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

5.0 out of 5 stars Definitive history of democracy, February 13, 2012

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Gderf - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Life and Death of Democracy (Hardcover)

This long book is full of short histories of many different nation's epochs of contributions to life and death of democracy. Why Keane and other writers choose to view history in the light of democracy could stand more exposition. It dates the beginnings of democracy from assemblies in the Sumerian and Akkadian cities rather than the more usual attribution to the Athenian city state originating under Solon in the 7th century BC. It covers modern developments from the creation of the first Cortes by Alfonso IX of Leon to recent times.

There is a degree of hubris in reviewing this great study, An understanding of all, or most, would take more than one reading. I get the impression that Keane writes mainly for himself. Maybe that's what make the book so great. Keane characterizes his approach to history as "a dialogue with the dead." He comes as close as any that I've read.

10 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How has democracy developed and died in manytimes and cultures, September 29, 2009

By 

William J. Duffy - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Life and Death of Democracy (Hardcover)

Is our democracy robust or dying? What conditions have caused democracy to develop,to thrive,to die or be killed? Few books have dealt wth these questions recently.The author seems to be performing this critical task in an extended and well researched work. This is a must read book for those who care deeply about how our country is governed.