General Books - Page 4

Waves of Democracy: Social Movements and Political Change (Sociology for a New Century Series)

John Markoff

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Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Best history of world-wide democracy 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

John Markoff is a truly original thinker and he discusses the progress and regress of democracy the world over without any nationalistic or ideological prejudice. The very best survey of the history of democracy I know.

Editorial Review:

Instead of presenting democracy as an ideal political system that humans only imperfectly realize, John Markoff conceptualizes democracy as something continually being reinvented. Instead of reducing democracy to well-defined and routine practices and institutions such as elections and parliaments, Markoff shows how political movements have repeatedly challenged and remade existing institutions. After reviewing two centuries of political conflict, he concludes with a thoughtful and exciting discussion on what democracy means today and what its future might be.

News from Nowhere

William Morris

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William Morris' futuristic utopia based on Medieval ideals 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

William Morris is best known for his involvement in the Pre-Raphaelite movement and as one of the greatest European pattern-designers since the Middle Ages. He was also a campaigning socialist, a pioneering environmentalist, and a lyric poet, as well as a journalist and a storyteller with a penchant for making his dreams reality. Much of his prose writings focused on the theme of an earthly paradise, which is the subject of "News from Nowhere." First published in serial form in the "Commonweal" in 1890, this novella offers Morris' ideal future for England as a pastoral society born out of revolution. A true utopian vision of the future, it is largely forgotten in comparison to the dramatic dystopian works such as "Brave New World" and "Nineteen Eighty-Four," which have dominated the interest of scholars and students.

"News from Nowhere, or, An Epoch of Rest: being some chapters from a Utopian Romance" tells the story of a young Englishman who goes to bed one night in his London home and wakes up in a strange world where his "neighbors" talk about the year 2001 as thought it had happened in the past. Morris depicts an England where radical changes have altered not only the way things look but the key elements of the society, which is now structured according to the ideals of communism. This means a world without money or private property but with a perfect equality between all citizens who share in the daily labor.

In addition to these common features of a utopian society, Morris argues that labor would be regarded as a pleasure rather than as a chore. This is possible because in the ideal world Morris envisions every citizen does the job that matches their skills and is able to take pride in the fruit of their labors. Consequently, for Morris "work" is more akin to "art," specifically in terms of the Medieval idea of individual workmanship, where even the production of a dish was celebrated as an art form. Towards this end Morris creates a future where humanity has eliminated all but the simplest forms of machinery, forcing a reliance on the individual skins of the workman. Even the city of London becomes a collection of villages in this post-industrial utopia.

At one point an old man who had studied the revolution explains what happened, which is where "News from Nowhere" gives Morris the opportunity to comment on the injustices he perceives in his own society. The revolution came when the conflict between workers and the state became violent. Unions had banded together in larger organizations and when the establishment ordered unarmed protesters to be gunned down and the workers decided to fight back. In many ways the story Morris tells through his character clearly predicts some of the conflicts that would take place between labor and the state around the world in the decades to come, but there is also a strong affinity with the story of the French Revolution.

Ultimately, "News from Nowhere" is a combination of Morris' ideal of the Medieval workman as a happy artisan and his socialist beliefs. The irony for utopian scholarship is that while Morris was prompted by "Looking Backward" to write "News from Nowhere" as a refutation of Bellamy's reliance on the modern institutions of technology and complex organizations, but today the two works are seen as being kindred spirits because they both predict a brighter future for humanity. Still, it is became Morris is looking backward from the end of the 19th century to the past to find the ideal state that should be achieved in the future, that "News From Nowhere" is one of the most atypical examples of utopian literature.

Editorial Review:

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Developing Democracy: Toward Consolidation

Larry Diamond

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Editorial Review:

In this book noted political sociologist Larry Diamond sets forth a distinctive theoretical perspective on democratic evolution and consolidation in the late twentieth century. Rejecting theories that posit preconditions for democracy -- and thus dismiss its prospects in poor countries -- Diamond argues instead for a "developmental" theory of democracy. This, he explains, is one which views democracy everywhere as a work in progress that emerges piecemeal, at different rates, in different ways and forms, in different countries.

Diamond begins by assessing the "third wave" of global democratization that began in 1974. With a wealth of quantitative data and case illustrations, he shows that the third wave has come to an end, leaving a growing gap between the electoral form and the liberal substance of democracy. This underscores the hollow, fragile state of many democracies and the imperative of concolidation. He then defines the concept of democratic consolidation and identifies the conditions that foster it. These include strong political institutions, appropriate institutional designs, decentralization of power, a vibrant civil society, and improved economic and political performance.

If new and troubled democracies are to be consolidated, Diamond argues, they must become more deeply democratic -- more liberal, accountable, and responsive to their citizens. Drawing on extensive public opinion research in developing and postcommunist states, he demonstrates the importance of freedom, transparency, and the rule of law for generating the broad legitimacy that is the essence of democratic consolidation. The book concludes with a hopeful view of the prospects for a fourth wave of global democratization.

Coming Race

Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton

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Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Boring 2 out of 5 stars.
4 of 10 people found this review helpful.

I bought this book hoping it would explain the inspiration for the Vril Society. Why would anyone be moved by this book to form a society following the idea of Vril?? Not only is it boring, but it is written like a children's book. Everything is explained like this...the grass was green and everywhere there was light...blah blah.... horrible imagery! I'm being biased only b/c I've read so many things about how the Vril Society influenced Nazism...and now I can't imagine why. This book sucks.

Sci-fi roots -- a captivating page-turner! 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

In this 1871 work, Lytton presents the reader with an early science fiction tale about an American adventurer whom we come to know only as "Tish". The author wrote the story near the end of his own life in 1873; however, he exposes his protagonist to vignettes of technology and ethical concepts which would not actualize until the 20th Century!

At the outset of the story Tish accompanies an associate deep into the bowels of a mine, presumably somewhere in Europe. It is therein that the two enter a subterranean world. The associate is killed almost immediately by a "krek," a creature with, "...a vast and terrible head with open jaws and dull, ghastly, hungry eyes -- the head of the monstrous reptile resembling that of a crocodile or alligator, but infinitely larger than the largest creature of that kind I had ever beheld in my travels."

From this point to almost the end of the work Tish is exposed to, and made the dubious guest of, a highly advanced culture in terms of technology: the Vril-ya. They represent the futuristic, powerful faction of the larger underworld race which is referred to as the "Ana". The non-Vril-ya were regarded as barbarians by the Vril-ya and were kept on the fringes of the technologically superior Vril-ya regions, (a situation which I regard as symbolism of the Jewish People of Europe during this era).

The author presents the Vril-ya as having aspired to social and civil preeminence; however, the excellence of their political systems and their philosophies, while devoid of conflagration and dispute, were shrewdly left for the reader to appraise.

Vril-ya society, in a nutshell, was static. They had no desire for wealth since each person could have anything s/he wanted by way of "Vril". Their diet was pseudo-vegetarian, milk being their singular non-vegetarian indulgence. A lazy society by nature, they considered Democracy to be primitive and thus perceived to be found only in barbarous cultures. Their own form of government was classified as "benevolent autocracy," except that the benevolence extended neither to the non-Vril-ya subterranean who shared their geography nor to any other. The most significant cultural divergence from surface dwelling humans hinged upon the fact that Vril-ya women were not only larger than males, they were also the assertive and dominant gender in their society.

Lytton was quite clever in his approach to analogizing Vril-ya Society to contemporaneous European events and attitudes. The technique is reminiscent of a later work by a fellow Englishman, J.R.R. Tolkien, author of "the Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings". It's also clear that Lytton was brilliantly intuitive in regard to his vision of futuristic technology.

The work is quite provocative in this regard: Lytton leaves the fate of mankind as an open issue with his Hitchcockian conclusion. Hence, do the Vril-ya exemplify God's [first] "unsuccessful experiment" in creating mankind? We He nullify the power of Vril in the event that the Vril-ya and the surface dwellers come into conflict? Or do the Vril-ya represent God's success story... and will humankind thus be purged from the Earth's surface as part of a "Master plan"? The latter appears to be the author's rendition and interpretation of "The Revelation to John" (in "The Holy Bible").

This is a superb yarn and seizes upon much of the "Hollow Earth" to-do of the period. This terrific book is timeless literature, expressed in the sci-fi genre and is just as compelling today as the day it was originally published. My highest recommendation even for non-science fiction enthusiasts.

Editorial Review:

I am a native of ___ in the United States of America. My ancestors migrated from England in the reign of Charles II.; and my grandfather was not undistinguished in the War of Independence. My family therefore enjoyed a somewhat high social position in right of birth; and being also opulent they were considered disqualified for the public service. (Excerpt)

The caciques: oligarchical politics and the system of caciquismo in the Luso-Hispanic world

Robert Kern

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Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Klausner is a parasite! 4 out of 5 stars.
13 of 18 people found this review helpful.

Harriet Klausner, Amazon's # 1 reviewer, clearly has no idea what Vance is about and I am happy to see that the bulk of Vance readers are discerning and intelligent enough to see that her review is a cynical attempt to suck up more votes by gushing away aimlessly about every new relase that comes out. Bah! What is even more amusing and tragic is that Klausner, perhaps chagrined by criticism of her review by the estimable James Windle 'jimbo', totally changed her review in a desperate attempt to garner more votes. Hahaha. Go away Harriet, you parasite! Your infinite mediocrity will be dealth with accordingly.

As for the book, it is readable and at times amusing, but it is certainly no Maeske: Thaery, Trullion: Alastor, nor Showboat World - less known than some other Vance novels perhaps, but truly brilliant works nonetheless.

Editorial Review:

Rejoin the adventures of Myron Tany, rebellious scion of a wealthy family, as he tours the Galaxy on a very questionable interstellar freighter, in a crew of actors, musicians, thieves and other ne'er-do-wells.

The Laws of Plato

Plato

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Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The Laws, Plato's longest dialogue, has for centuries been recognized as the most comprehensive exposition of the practical consequences of his philosophy, a necessary corrective to the more visionary and utopian Republic. In this animated encounter between a foreign philosopher and a powerful statesman, not only do we see reflected, in Plato's own thought, eternal questions of the relation between political theory and practice, but we also witness the working out of a detailed plan for a new political order that embodies the results of Plato's mature reflection on the family, the status of women, property rights, criminal law, and the role of religion and the fine arts in a healthy republic.

"Because it succeeds in being both literal and comprehensive, it is by far superior to any translation available. By reproducing dramatic detail often omitted, such as oaths, hesitations, repetitions, and forms of address, Pangle allows the reader to follow the dialogue's interplay between argument and dramatic context. . . . Pangle's translation captures the excitement and the drama of Plato's text."—Mary P. Nichols, Ancient Philosophy

"Pangle's achievement is remarkable. . . . The accompanying interpretive essay is an excellent distillation of a dialogue three times its size. The commentary is thoughtful, even profound; and it amply demonstrates the importance of reading Plato carefully and from a translation that is true to his language."—Patrick Coby, American Political Science Review

The Global Resurgence of Democracy (A Journal of Democracy Book)

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Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

A vital theoretical and comparative foundation 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

Diamond and Plattner offer a valuable update from their 1993 book, now comprised of articles from the Journal of Democracy from 1990 through 1995. Anchored by a thorough introduction, the first section introduces the third wave of democratization, the new world disorder, and definitions and dangers of democracy. Articles on institutional choices debate the structural questions of democracy, with a broad perspective on presidential, parliamentary, constitutional and representative questions. A new section on civil society discusses an area to which political scientists are bringing renewed attention. Eight new chapters make up the cautiously optimistic section on the prospects for democracy.

A strength of this book as a teaching tool is that it offers both theory and comparative chapters. Several articles are broad-based, discussing paradoxes intrinsic to all democracies or the gap between democratic concepts and political realities, for example. Others are country- or region-specific, such as civil society in Russia or pluralism in the Arab world.

A second strength is the frequent intermixing of political, economic and cultural concerns. In many individual chapters and in the collection overall, the reader is reminded that institutions, currencies and mores do not exist or operate in vacuum. Rather, they influence and change each other -- and not always for the better. Chapters on technocratic economic emphasis in post-communist states and ethnic divisions and underdevelopment in Africa are particularly revealing.

By highlighting the research published in the Journal of Democracy, this volume offers educators a valuable collection for comparative and theoretical approaches to democratization. The readings prompted thoughtful debates among my students on the central issues. Such a fluid field depends upon regular updates, and this reviewer looks forward to using future editions. (January 2000)

Editorial Review:

In its first edition, The Global Resurgence of Democracy brought together essays on democratization written from 1989 to 1991 by internationally prominent scholars, intellectuals, and political leaders. This thoroughly revised and updated second edition extends that work with a wealth of fresh material on a wide range of conceptual, historical, institutional, and policy issues.

"A useful compilation popularizing the work of an influential journal... The Journal of Democracy is an effective tribune for mainstream U.S. thinking on these issues." -- Political Studies

The State of Democratic Theory

Ian Shapiro

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Editorial Review:

What should we expect from democracy, and how likely is it that democracies will live up to those expectations? In The State of Democratic Theory, Ian Shapiro offers a critical assessment of contemporary answers to these questions, lays out his distinctive alternative, and explores its implications for policy and political action.

Some accounts of democracy's purposes focus on aggregating preferences; others deal with collective deliberation in search of the common good. Shapiro reveals the shortcomings of both, arguing instead that democracy should be geared toward minimizing domination throughout society. He contends that Joseph Schumpeter's classic defense of competitive democracy is a useful starting point for achieving this purpose, but that it stands in need of radical supplementation--both with respect to its operation in national political institutions and in its extension to other forms of collective association. Shapiro's unusually wide-ranging discussion also deals with the conditions that make democracy's survival more and less likely, with the challenges presented by ethnic differences and claims for group rights, and with the relations between democracy and the distribution of income and wealth.

Ranging over politics, philosophy, constitutional law, economics, sociology, and psychology, this book is written in Shapiro's characteristic lucid style--a style that engages practitioners within the field while also opening up the debate to newcomers.

Averroes on Plato's "Republic"

Averroes

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"Because of the importance of Averroes (as a Muslim he is significant for both Platonic and Islamic thought), it is good to have Lerner's new and thoughtful interpretation, with lucid introduction, three helpful appendixes, glossary, and index."--Library Journal

"This is a fine translation of a very difficult and important text, lost in its Arabic original but preserved in the awkward fourteenth-century Hebrew translation of Judah ben Samuel. Even in this summary form, the Republic is one of the exceedingly few works of the Platonic corpus to surface in Islamic philosophy, and this paraphrase is an excellent example of Averroes' technique of doing philosophy in commentary form."--Journal of Near Eastern Studies

"It is interesting to note that Plato's tenets were considered profitable also by Averroes, whose world was defined and governed by the Koran."--The Classical Outlook

An indispensable primary source in medieval political philosophy is presented here in a fully annotated translation of Averroes' discussion of the Republic. Averroes' book played a major role in both the transmission and the adaptation of the Platonic tradition in the West. In a closely argued critical introduction, Ralph Lerner addresses several of the most important problems raised by the work.

On Tyranny

Leo Strauss

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On Tyranny is Leo Strauss's classic reading of Xenophon's dialogue, Hiero or Tyrannicus, in which the tyrant Hiero and the poet Simonides discuss the advantages and disadvantages of exercising tyranny. This edition includes a translation of the dialogue, a critique of the commentary by the French philosopher Alexandre Kojève, Strauss's restatement of his position in light of Kojève's comments, and finally, the complete Strauss-Kojève correspondence.

"Through [Strauss's] interpretation Xenophon appears to us as no longer the somewhat dull and flat author we know, but as a brilliant and subtle writer, an original and profound thinker. What is more, in interpreting this forgotten dialogue, Strauss lays bare great moral and political problems that are still ours." —Alexandre Kojève, Critique

"On Tyranny is a complex and stimulating book with its 'parallel dialogue' made all the more striking since both participants take such unusual, highly provocative positions, and so force readers to face substantial problems in what are often wholly unfamiliar, even shocking ways." —Robert Pippin, History and Theory

"Every political scientist who tries to disentangle himself from the contemporary confusion over the problems of tyranny will be much indebted to this study and inevitably use it as a starting point."—Eric Voegelin, The Review of Politics

Leo Strauss (1899-1973) was the Robert Maynard Hutchins Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago.