Conservative political parties and the birth of modern democracy in Europe

How do democracies form and what makes them die? Daniel Ziblatt revisits this timely and classic question in a wide-ranging historical narrative that traces the evolution of modern political democracy in Europe from its modest beginnings in 1830s Britain to Adolf Hitler's 1933 seizure of power in Weimar Germany. Based on rich historical and quantitative evidence, the book offers a major reinterpretation of European history and the question of how stable political democracy is achieved. The barriers to inclusive political rule, Ziblatt finds, were not inevitably overcome by unstoppable tides of socioeconomic change, a simple triumph of a growing middle class, or even by working class collective action. Instead, political democracy's fate surprisingly hinged on how conservative political parties {u2013} the historical defenders of power, wealth, and privilege {u2013} recast themselves and coped with the rise of their own radical right. With striking modern parallels, the book has vital implications for today's new and old democracies under siege "Today, political democracies, new and old alike, are under siege. Understanding the circumstances of their origins and early survival in Europe helps us not only grasp how new democracies emerge, but also offers insight into the sources of potential resilience in today's old democracies. For countries democratizing today, old regime elite party organization can help democracy thrive, no matter whether those old elites are aristocrats, single-party leaders, or modern-day tyrants; democracy depends on the buy-in of these groups, and political parties offer one route to that end" .. 1. Two patterns of democratization 2. The old regime and the conservative dilemma 3. From 1688 to mass politics: British democratization 4. A virtuous cycle? Conservative strength and Britain's settled path, 1884-1906 5. Averting a democratic disaster in Britain, 1906-1922 6. Weak party conservatism and the case of Germany 7. Stalled democratization in Germany before 1914 8. The unsettled path: conservative weakness in Weimar Germany, 1918-1928 9. A deluge: conservative weakness and democratic breakdown in Germany 10. How countries democratize: Europe and beyond 11. Conclusion.