Models of Democracy

An introduction to central accounts of democracy, from classical Greece to the present day, and a critical discussion of what democracy should mean today. This edition has been revised and updated to take account of the significant transformations in world politics during the past ten years.

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The first edition of Models of Democracy has proved immensely popular among students and specialists world-wide. In a succinct but far-reaching analysis, David Held provides an introduction to central accounts of democracy from classical Greece to the present and a critical discussion of what democracy should mean today. The second edition has been extensively revised and updated to take account of the significant transformations in world politics during the past ten years. These changes are reflected in new chapters on the impact on democracy of the fall of the Soviet empire, the prospects of the democratic nation-state in the light of the intensification of regionalization and globalization, and the future of democracy in a more global era. The second edition also takes account of the considerable scholarship in political thought in the last decade, and of the challenges it poses to our understanding of the democratic heritage. This has led to a new chapter on republicanism and to thoroughly revised or updated chapters on classical Athens, liberalism, Marxism, the competitive elitism of Weber and Schumpeter, pluralism, and the post-war polarization of democratic ideals.
Like its predecessor, the second edition of Models of Democracy combines lucid exposition and clarity of expression with careful scholarship and originality making it highly attractive both to students and to experts in the field. The second edition will prove essential reading for all those interested in politics, political theory and political philosophy.