The History of Democracy : A Marxist Interpretation

The concept of democracy has become tarnished in recent years, as governments become disconnected from voters and pursue unpopular policies. And yet the ideal of democracy continues to inspire movements around the world, most recently the uprisings across the Arab world. Brian Roper refreshes our understanding of democracy using a Marxist theoretical framework. He traces the history of democracy as it has passed through various historical moments from Athenian democracy to the Roman Republic, the revolutionary emergence of liberal representative and socialist participatory democracy in Europe and North America, and the global spread of democracy during the past century. Roper argues that democracy cannot be understood separately from underlying processes of exploitation, and the class and social struggles these generate. He offers an engaging Marxist critique of representative democracy, and raises the possibility of alternative socialist and participatory democratic forms, which will be of interest to students and scholars of history, politics, and those in other disciplines who are concerned about the past, present, and future of democracy. Intro -- Title page -- Copyright page -- Contents -- Preface and acknowledgements -- Introduction -- 1 Origins: democracy in the ancient Greek world -- Introduction -- The historical emergence of Athenian democracy -- Class struggle in the Ancient Greek polis -- Cleisthenes' reforms: establishing demokratia -- Peasant citizens, class struggle and democracy -- The suppression of democracy from 322-1 BC -- Conclusion -- Guide to further reading -- 2 Democracy suppressed: the Roman republic and empire -- Introduction -- The historical origins and development of the Roman republic from 509 to 27 BC -- Roman territorial expansion -- The economic and social structure of Roman society -- The political institutions of the Roman republic and the 'conflict of orders' -- The 'mixed constitution' of the Roman republic: democracy or oligarchy? -- From the principate to the fall of the Roman empire, 27 BC to 476 AD -- Conclusion -- Guide to further reading -- 3 The early Middle Ages and the transition from feudalism to capitalism -- Introduction -- The early Middle Ages and the emergence of feudalism in Europe -- Historical retrogression during the early Middle Ages -- The origins of feudalism in Western Europe -- The central features of feudalism -- The growth of feudalism -- The crisis of feudalism and the emergence of absolutism in France and capitalism in England -- The crisis of feudalism -- French absolutism -- Explaining the emergence of capitalism in England -- Conclusion -- Guide to further reading -- 4 The English Revolution and parliamentary democracy -- Introduction -- The English Revolution and civil war, 1640-59 -- English society in the mid-seventeenth century: population, class, gender and religion -- The historical origins of the English Parliament -- Background and context, 1603-40 Brian Roper Refreshes Our Understanding Of Democracy Using A Marxist Theoretical 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. Origins: Democracy In The Ancient Greek World --democracy Suppressed: The Roman Republic And Empire -- The Early Middle Ages And The Transition From Feudalism To Capitalism -- The English Revolution And Parliamentary Democracy -- The American Revolution And Constitutional Redefinition Of Democracy -- The Revolutionary Revival Of Democracy In France -- The Revolutions Of 1848-49 -- Capitalist Expansion, Globalisation And Democratisation -- The Marxist Critique Of Capitalism And Representative Democracy -- Precursors Of Socialist Participatory Democracy: The Paris Commune 1871 And Russian Revolutions Of 1905 And 1917. Brian S. Roper. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 277-294) And Index. The concept of democracy has become tarnished in recent years, as governments become disconnected from voters and pursue unpopular policies. And yet the ideal of democracy continues to inspire movements around the world, such as the Arab Spring. Brian Roper refreshes our understanding of democracy using a Marxist theoretical 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. Roper argues that democracy cannot be understood separately from underlying processes of exploitation and class struggle. He offers an engaging Marxist critique of representative democracy, and raises the possibility of alternative democratic forms. The History of Democracy will be of interest to students and scholars of history and politics and all those concerned about the past, present and future of democracy. Cover......Page 1 Contents......Page 6 Preface and acknowledgements......Page 10 Introduction......Page 18 1. Origins: democracy in the ancient Greek world......Page 31 2. Democracy suppressed: the Roman republic and empire......Page 54 3. The early Middle Ages and the transition from feudalism to capitalism......Page 79 4. The English Revolution and parliamentary democracy......Page 105 5. The American Revolution and constitutional redefinition of democracy......Page 136 6. The revolutionary revival of democracy in France......Page 170 7. The revolutions of 1848-49......Page 195 8. Capitalist expansion, globalisation and democratisation......Page 213 9. The Marxist critique of capitalism and representative democracy......Page 234 10. Precursors of socialist participatory democracy: the Paris Commune of 1871 and Russian Revolutions of 1905 and 1917......Page 258 Bibliography......Page 294 Index......Page 312 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. 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 theoretical 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. As an alternative, he offers an engaging Marxist critique of representative democracy, which has the potential to undermine the existing status quo Brian Roper refreshes our understanding of democracy by tracing 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. Roper argues that democracy cannot be understood separately from the social and economic contexts in which democratic states operate. He offers an engaging Marxist critique of representative democracy, and raises the possibility of alternative democratic forms. Book jacket Pluto Press ISBN,9780745331904,Hardback,ISBN,978,0,7453,3189,8,Paperback,ISBN,978,1,8496,4713,7,PDF,eBook,ISBN,978,1,8496,4715,1,Kindle,eBook,ISBN,978,1,8496,4714,4,EPUB,eBook ISBN 9780745331904 Hardback,ISBN 978 0 7453 3189 8 Paperback,ISBN 978 1 8496 4713 7 PDF eBook,ISBN 978 1 8496 4715 1 Kindle eBook,ISBN 978 1 8496 4714 4 EPUB eBook A critique of liberal democracy, from ancient Athens to today