The History of Democracy, livre ebook

Democracy under neoliberalism has become tarnished, as governments become disconnected from voters and pursue policies against the interests of the people. And yet the ideal of democracy continues to inspire movements around the world.
Brian Roper refreshes our understanding of democracy using a Marxist framework. He traces the history of democracy from ancient Athens to the emergence of liberal representative and socialist participatory democracy in Europe and North America, through to the global spread of democracy during the past century.
An an alternative, he offers an engaging Marxist critique of representative democracy, which has the potential to undermine the existing status quo.
Preface and Acknowledgements

Introduction

1. Origins: Democracy in the Ancient Greek World

2. Democracy Suppressed: The Roman Republic

3. The Early Middle Ages and the Transition from Feudalism to Capitalism

4. The English Revolution and Parliamentary Democracy

5. The American Revolution and Constitutional Redefinition of Democracy

6. The Revolutionary Revival of Democracy in France

7. The Revolutions of 1848-49

8. Capitalist Expansion, Globalization and Democratization

9. The Marxist Critique of Capitalism and Representative Democracy

10. Precursors of Socialist Participatory Democracy: The Paris Commune 1871 and Russian Revolutions 1905 and 1917

General Bibliography