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Frank Furedi
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Democracy Under Siege: Don't Let Them Lock It Down! Paperback – 30 Oct. 2020

by Frank Furedi (Author)
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Democracy Under Siege outlines the long history of anti-democratic thought, explains why hostility to democracy has gained momentum in the current era, and offers a positive affirmation of the principle and the value of democracy.


Frank Furedi examines the frequent claim that democracy is a means to an end rather than an important value in and of itself. The prevalence of this sentiment in the current era is not surprising, given that the normative foundation for democracy is fragile, and there is little cultural valuation for this outlook. Until recently, virtually every serious commentator paid lip-service to democracy. However, in recent times the classical elitist disdain for democracy and for the moral and intellectual capacity of the electorate has acquired a powerful influence over public life.
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  1. ISBN-10
    1789046289
  2. ISBN-13
    978-1789046281
  3. Publisher
    Zero Books
  4. Publication date
    30 Oct. 2020
  5. Language
    English
  6. Dimensions
    14.12 x 1.17 x 21.69 cm
  7. Print length
    168 pages
  8. See all details
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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
39 global ratings

Top reviews from United Kingdom

S Taplin
5.0 out of 5 stars Reminds democracy is about everyone being equal in the law, essential for equal life & society.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 November 2021
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A critical reminder that democracy is about everyone being equal in the law, and therefore having a genuinely equal voice, not about technical process. The book provides clear and historical narrative and examples, and explains that if we diverge from this understanding we lose the potential for equality in all other aspects of life and society. This book is critically important for everyone to read now, as genuine, discursive and hard fought democracy - and the culture of democracy - is being questioned and sidelined in favour of top down, forced values and rules on how to think, how to behave and how to live. Short and to the point, this is excellent work at a critical time, and one to share and discuss with others, particularly the young who are losing a connection with the past and the imperative and history of democracy.
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Simabouk
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent analysis
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 November 2020
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Populism is certainly not the biggest threat to democracy but anti-populism is and it has been shown throughout history. Furedi takes you for a journey demonstrating that the democratic crisis is not where you'd think it is.
11 people found this helpful
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RC
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 December 2020
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A wake up call; The woke brigades of the left won't like this one!
9 people found this helpful
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Jack the Bear
4.0 out of 5 stars A short, sharp read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 January 2021
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This book is essentially a history of the ways in which educated elites in the West have struggled to believe that 'ordinary' people might have any views that were interesting and important. Even if you already know that sneering at the views of plebs didn't start after Brexit or the election of Trump you might be surprised at just how prevalent that behaviour has been since the time of Plato, and how it has fundamentally shaped our politics and history.
Furedi clearly enjoys skewering some well known names across the centuries whose reputations rest on their apparent tolerance and openness to new ideas. It's interesting to read just how queasy even iconic liberals such as JS Mill were about giving power to the people.
There is a lot of learning and wisdom in these pages but the book has clearly been rushed into print to ensure it is published during a time of lockdown. Unfortunately it contains lots of typos and looks as if it wasn't proof read even once. There's a real humdinger on page 18 where the dreaded autocorrect has done some unnoticed mischief and given us the sentence 'Along with isegoria, the Athenians also valued insomnia'.
One star docked for the publisher falling asleep at the wheel but the book is highly recommended.
11 people found this helpful
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Tony Gilland
5.0 out of 5 stars Thought provoking and engaging call to live democratically
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 January 2021
Clear and well argued, with lots of historical detail packed into a relatively short and very engaging read. I especially appreciated the more contemporary chapters examining barriers to democracy. The final chapter, advocating democracy as ‘more than a set of procedures’ and the benefits of ‘living democratically in the public sphere, provides a powerful call to arms to all that seek a more meaningful existence and a measure of control over our collective future.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

A.J. MacDonald, Jr.
5.0 out of 5 stars An important book everyone should read
Reviewed in the United States on 11 November 2020
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Another excellent book from professor Furedi. After enduring the past four years of elitist hatred directed toward populists in America this book comes as a breath of fresh air. After having read this book I am now better able to understand what's been going on in the world and why the elites loathe regular people. Shame on them! I have no intention of cooperating in any way with their dystopian technocratic agenda! I want my freedom back! And I want our democratic republic back too!
2 people found this helpful
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Peter Monien
5.0 out of 5 stars A timely book about one of the most pressing problems of our time
Reviewed in Germany on 20 February 2021
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2 quotes from the book: "Today, when 40 per cent of young Americans between the ages of 18-43 support censoring speech that is offensive to others, it is evident that a democratic argumentative culture is in trouble" AND "‘The serious threat to our democracy,’ he asserted, ‘is not the existence of foreign totalitarian states’ but the ‘existence within our personal attitudes and within our own institutions of conditions which have given a victory to external authority, discipline, uniformity and dependence upon The Leader’"
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