Democracy: The Unfinished Journey, 508 BC to AD 1993

By John Dunn

Book Overview

The form of democracy first introduced 2,500 years ago by Kleisthenes--introduced, some scholars say, for his own personal gain--is quite different from what we call democracy today. And yet what was essentially a casual, practical solution to local Greek political difficulties has come to stand virtually unchallenged as the ground for modern political authority, and the questions which the Greeks first raised about the meaning of democratic rule still loom over our political and economic life.
In Democracy, noted author John Dunn and twelve expert contributors trace the extraordinary political career of democracy from its appearance in ancient Greece to its recent resurrection in Eastern Europe. The contributors range far and wide, from ancient Greece to the French Revolution to modern India, to illuminate this enduring form of government. They describe how demokratia (literally, "people power") first developed in Athens, and how it promoted a belief in the radical revisability of traditional assumptions which carried over into scientific breakthroughs of Aristotle, Euclid, and others. They examine the independent Italian city-republics and show how Britain's Leveller movement, which lasted four short years during England's Civil War, introduced the radically innovative idea of political equality. They also discuss how the American revolution brought common people into the affairs of government, not simply as voters but as actual rulers, giving work-a-day people a cultural and social significance they never had before in history; and how democracy has been seen since the Age of Revolutions, surveying political debate from Rosa Luxemburg to Walter Lippman. Finally, several essays take a look at democracy today--how it has failed women, for instance, and what the return of democracy will mean for Eastern Europe.
As the recent collapse of socialism demonstrates, the idea of democracy still holds a powerful attraction for us. In tracing its history across two millennia, this book illuminates the source of that power and explains why it has triumphed so decisively in the modern world.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0198273789
• ISBN13: 9780198273783
• Release Date: September 1992
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Length: 302 Pages
• Weight: 1.44 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.5" x 0.9" x 6.4"

Customer Reviews

Well-written and Interesting

I read this book for my senior seminar class while studying abroad in Rome. I found it to be well-written and quite interesting. The essays cover a variety of topics, from history (e.g. the Levellers) to philosophy (e.g. a feminist critique of democracy). The book is easy to follow, while offering a good academic analysis of the different aspects of democracy throughout history.

A very interesting collection of essays on democracy

Why democracy? Could be one of the titles of the book. Why this political system with its inumerable variations is the dominant type of political organisation in the western world. Although representative democracy is not what the Athenians invented in antiquity, it is however as close to the original idea as it can be. All important topics are covered. "Ancient Greek political theory and democracy", "Greek democracy, philosophy and science", "The Italian City-Republics", "The levellers", ""Democracy and the American revolution", "Democracy and the French revolution" and more. In the preface of the book we read: "This is a book about the history and significance of an old but vigorous idea: that in human political communities it ought to be ordinary people (the adult citizens)and not the extra-ordinary people who rule....." Although we may not agree with these words the authors put once more the definite question on "Who should be the ruler and who should be the ruled?"