xii, 388 pages ; 24 cm

"Written with remarkable erudition and clarity, this is the most comprehensive introduction to democracy available in a single volume. Tocquevillian in its scope and historical-philosophical in its orientation, Democracy traces popular government from its classical origins through the authoritarian and totalitarian backlash of the twentieth century. Unified by the theme of democracy as the expression of the belief in autonomy - communal, plural, and individual - the text examines democratic government and politics in normative, institutional, and procedural terms." "Students of the history of political thought will find especially valuable its account of the democratic ideal, from Athenian direct democracy and Roman republicanism to the rise of liberal democracy: Stressing the interplay of theory and practice, Lakoff moves from history to the present by examining modern democracy as "compound autonomy," expressed in voting and electoral systems, federalism, and efforts of democratization around the world. His synthesis leads to the conclusion that although democracy is neither perfect nor inevitable, it is humanity's best hope for free, stable, and peaceful government."--Jacket

Includes bibliographical references (pages 361-373) and index

1. The New Appeal of an Old Ideal -- 2. Democracy as the Quest for Autonomy -- 3. Communal Autonomy: Athenian Democracy -- 4. Plural Autonomy: Roman and Later Republicanism -- 5. Individual Autonomy: Liberal Democracy -- 6. Backlash: Criticism and the Rise of Modern Autocracy -- 7. Modern Democracy: Compound Autonomy -- 8. The Individual and the Group: Voting and Elections -- 9. Federalism: Devolution and Cooperation -- 10. Democratization: Perils of the Passage -- 11. Autonomy Against Itself: Pitfalls and Pathologies -- 12. Democracy and World Peace: Euphoria Limited -- 13. Democracy and Its Prospects

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