From Voting to Violence: Democratization and Nationalist Conflict [Hardcover]

Jack L. Snyder (Author), Jack Snyder (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2000

How democratization can exacerbate nationalist fervour and ethnic conflict is shown in this book. Arguing that international organisations can cause conflict rather than avert it, Snyder prescribes policies that will make transitions less dangerous. In the light of such examples as Weimar Germany and contemporary Bosnia, the book questions the optimism of Western liberals that would rush to democracy at the cost of freedom.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this acutely argued book, Columbia University political scientist Snyder challenges the American dogma that voting is a political panacea regardless of conditions or circumstances. Critically assessing American foreign policy in the 1990s, he argues that promoting free elections often produces serious conflict; he argues that where critical preconditions are not present (where there isn't, for instance, an adaptable ruling elite or institutions such as the rule of law and a free press), embracing the popular ballot often leads to the rise of a noxious nationalism, conflict and war: "Democratization produces nationalism when powerful elites within a nation need to harness popular energies to the tasks of war and economic development" yet "want to avoid surrendering real political authority." Snyder supports his theory with overwhelming evidence from a diverse array of historical situations--from revolutionary France to Nazi Germany, from Eastern Europe after the breakup of the Soviet Union to central Africa and central and southern Asia. His documentation suggests a pattern in ethnically divided authoritarian states: ethnic/nationalist conflict often bursts out just as efforts at democratization get underway. Drawing on his analysis, Snyder "prescribes ways to make democratic transitions less dangerous." The intellectual rigor of this important book distinguishes it from arguments driven by simple conservative longings for authoritarian rule; his analysis of the link between the initiation of democracy and resulting nationalism is far more convincing than the common reference to "ancient hatreds" as the source of conflict. Exceptionally well-organized and clearly written, Snyder's book provides a fresh look at the debate over the process of introducing democracy into formerly authoritarian countries. (Apr.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

...Snyder's insight remains an impressive one--that democratizations can be a dangerous business. -- The New York Times Book Review, Stephen Schlesinger

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company (April 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393048810
• ISBN-13: 978-0393048810
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,459,810 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars democracy isn't a panacea!, June 9, 2007

By 

the brown hornet (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: From Voting to Violence: Democratization and Nationalist Conflict (Paperback)

synder's book breaks down the fallacies of imposing democracy as the cure-all to violent ethnic conflict. the book is quite easy to read, even for folks with no political science background. snyder is particularly effective at laying down a systematic framework as to why emerging democratization often leads to violence, and then provides case studies that illustrate his points clearly. snyder isn't anti-democratization, but he is very wary when the process is started without certain institutions and conditions in place. if the bush administration read this book prior to invading iraq, we might have been able to avoid that catastrophe entirely.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Run, it's democray!", December 28, 2007

By 

Frank S. Fang "Author of 'China Fever'" (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: From Voting to Violence: Democratization and Nationalist Conflict (Paperback)

This is no doubt one of the best books on democracy. It is at least as good as Hungtington's Political orders in changing societies, and The third wave. The author sees democracy as "conditionally good", or democracy is good because it is strategically conditional. The book, however, fails to go further to see that democracy is in fact only "culturally conditional". The God of universal democracy was dead, but too many people are unable or unwilling to accept it.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, July 12, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: From Voting to Violence: Democratization and Nationalist Conflict (Paperback)

What makes this a great political science book is not merely the provocative counterintuitive claim regarding democratization (specifically partial democractization) offered by the author, but the solid, systematic and CLEAR (!) theoretical and empirical cases offer in support. A pleasure to read and a valuable contribution to scholarship and policy-making alike.