Review by Booklist Review
Polling confirms that Americans on both sides of our quarrelsome political divide are anxious that democracy itself, the essential foundation of America, is in serious trouble. To the rescue comes this wonderfully comforting and beautifully written long-view historical narrative. Keane starts with the beginnings of assembly democracy in 2500 BCE Syria-Mesopotamia. Next he describes the birth of electoral democracy, as triggered by the Islamic custom of wakil circa 600 CE. Bringing his narrative into the present, he examines the age of monitory democracy, "a variety of democracy defined by the growth of scores of power-monitoring institutions unknown to earlier democrats." With heartening humor, he explains that democracy always has been a fragile and "sticky" ideal whose history has principally been recorded by its enemies; he cites a widely read "book of virtues" (1643) that depicts democracy as "a coarsely dressed peasant woman," one of the great mass of "uncouth and unwashed humanity." This slim volume is a fine read from a gifted author that will remind readers of the many forgotten characters who fought for democracy over thousands of years.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Keane (The New Despotism), a professor of politics at the University of Sydney, delivers a concise and informative history of democracy "as an unending process of humbling unconstrained power." Beginning in 2500 BCE with Syria-Mesopotamia, Keane organizes his history of democracy into three stages. "Assembly Democracy," in which people gathered to debate public policies, was found in ancient Greece, as well as in the Levant and on the Indian subcontinent. "Electoral Democracy," where representatives were chosen to make laws, came to prominence in the Atlantic world in the 18th and 19th centuries. "Monitory Democracy" developed after WWII and is characterized "by the rapid growth of many new kinds of extra-parliamentary, power-scrutinizing mechanisms" that monitor elections, review budgets, and otherwise seek to hold government officials accountable. According to Keane, this third stage, the "most complex and vibrant form of democracy yet," is under threat from contemporary "despots" including Russia's Vladimir Putin, as well as from "massive inequalities of opportunity and wealth" in the U.S. and other Western countries. Though Keane's history lessons come with a progressive slant, he packs far-flung details into a brisk and accessible narrative. This is a provocative and enlightening survey of democracy's ever-shifting nature. (Sept.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
HighSchool--Imagine covering the history of democracy, or war, or Europe in just a few hundred pages; that is what this series promises. The development from assembly democracies to today's governments, the growth of war from skirmishes among hunter-gatherers to nuclear bombs and cyber terrorism, and the slow emergence of modern Europe from ancient civilizations - condensed into books that could be read in a day. This is dense material due to its subject matter and the way it has been distilled. The democracy and Europe titles both have timelines and all three books have images (diagrams, maps, artwork, photos) to support the text. That text is written by content specialists who draw parallels with current events as well as explaining what has gone before. VERDICT A useful reference set, or a possible classroom purchase for Honors or A.P. courses.
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