How Democracies Die

The authors note that unwritten rules of mutual toleration and institutional forbearance are essential to the functioning of democratic systems. Identify three instances from the text where mutual toleration was undermined in democratic systems, and describe how this led to a decline in institutional forbearance in each case.

In Chapter 6 the authors note a tension in American democracy: that it was founded on the disenfranchisement of African Americans. Describe how American democracy was founded on a policy of racial exclusion, citing examples from the text.

Donald Trump is not the first would-be autocrat to threaten the American political system. Discuss how American democracy successfully resisted figures like Huey Long and Henry Ford, and how the context of that resistance differs from the current moment.

Despite the high regard in which many Americans hold the Constitution, Levitsky and Ziblatt suggest that the Constitution alone cannot ensure democracy. Discuss why this is the case, citing three examples from the text.

Supporters of leaders with autocratic tendencies often dismiss those leaders’ rhetoric as “mere words.” Describe Levitsky and Ziblatt’s argument for why words pose a threat to democracy, drawing on examples from the United States and elsewhere.

Levitsky and Ziblatt note that the erosion of democracy is accompanied and facilitated by the decline of the free press. Discuss how autocratic leaders subvert democracy by undermining the media, and how this threatens democratic systems.

Describe how would-be autocrats subvert democracy by capturing “referees,” highlighting three examples from the text.

Levitsky and Ziblatt lay out a “litmus test” for autocratic leaders. Choose three autocrats or potential autocrats and describe how they meet the criteria proposed by the authors, citing examples.