Democracy: The Unfinished Journey, 508 BC to AD 1993 - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0198279345 ISBN 13: 9780198279341

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 1994

Synopsis

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. As the recent collapse of socialism demonstrates, the idea of democracy still holds a powerful attraction for us. By viewing its astonishing history across this great arc of time, the book shows why democracy today has both the power and the vulnerability which make it the key to understanding politics, and explains why it has triumphed so decisively in the modern world.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

This book explains how a casual practical solution to local Greek political difficulties so very long ago has come to stand virtually unchallenged as the ground for modern political authority. It shows how the idea of democracy has kept its power in a world which is utterly different from the world of classical Greece and how the questions which the Greeks first raised about the meaning of democratic rule still loom over human political and economic institutions in a setting in which no modern population can ever rule in practice, day by day, as the Athenian demos ruled.

About the Author:

John Dunn is the author of Locke (Past Masters) which has sold over 15,000 copies.

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 1994
• ISBN 10: 0198279345
• ISBN 13: 9780198279341
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 304
• Editor: Dunn John