Note: This is the second half of a two-part interview.
America is undergoing a massive experiment: Moving in fits and starts toward a multiracial democracy, the prospect of change has sparked an authoritarian backlash that threatens the foundations of our political system. Why is this happening here, and not in other diversifying nations, and what can we do to save our democracy?
In their new book, Tyranny of the Minority, 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, and how to reform our antiquated political institutions before it’s too late.
Steven Levitsky is a Professor of Government at Harvard University. Levitsky’s research focuses on Latin America and the developing world. He is the author of Competitive Authoritarianism and previously joined us in 2019 to talk about his book, How Democracies Die, an instant New York Times bestseller again cowritten with Daniel Ziblatt.
