Los Angeles Times

Q&A: Book sees parallels between Trump's presidency, erosion of democracy in other countries

As scholars who study the death of democracies around the globe, Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt saw Donald Trump's rise to power as an alarming sign of dangerous times ahead for the United States.

The two professors of government at Harvard University found parallels with fascism in Germany and Italy before World War II and with Latin America's long struggle with dictatorships.

In the United States, they argue in their new book, "How Democracies Die," the threat comes not from a military coup, but from a duly elected leader who, like former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, subverts democratic institutions one step at a time in a steady march to autocracy.

"We must be aware of the fateful missteps that

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Times3 min read
Universal Studios Tram Tossed 'Multiple' Riders To The Ground, Accident Investigators Say
LOS ANGELES — A tram vehicle at Universal Studios Hollywood threw "multiple" riders to the ground after it struck a guardrail near props from the "Jurassic Park" film franchise in an accident that is under investigation by the California Highway Patr
Los Angeles Times4 min read
George Skelton: California's Budget Relies On The Richest Taxpayers, And We're Paying The Price
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Borrowing an old bromide, when the stock market sneezes, California's state government catches pneumonia. It's more than a common cold when the state coughs up billions of buckets in red ink. Wall Street recently has exhibited
Los Angeles Times5 min read
Avian Flu Outbreak Raises A Disturbing Question: Is Our Food System Built On Poop?
If it’s true that you are what you eat, then most beef-eating Americans consist of a smattering of poultry feathers, urine, feces, wood chips and chicken saliva, among other food items. As epidemiologists scramble to figure out how dairy cows throug

Related Books & Audiobooks