[Foreign Book] How Did Democracy Fall into Crisis?

Ann Applebaum 'Twilight of Democracy'

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] Following 'How Democracies Die (January 2019)', 'The Death of Democracy (June 2019)', and 'Surviving Autocracy (June 2020)', another book warning about the crisis of democracy has been published.

'Twilight of Democracy' is that book. Written by Anne Applebaum, who won the Pulitzer Prize in 2004 for her three-volume series on the history of the former Soviet Union and worked as a columnist for The Washington Post for 17 years.

Applebaum, who lives in Poland, begins the book with a story about a fictional party hosted at her home on December 31, 1999. The attendees of the party are intoxicated by the aftermath of their victory over communism under the Cold War system. They are people who share beliefs such as democracy, the rule of law, and checks and balances.

Nearly 20 years later, Applebaum deliberately takes a longer route to avoid running into those party attendees on the street. They also do not wish to visit Applebaum’s home. They even find it burdensome to mention the fact that they attended the party 20 years ago.

Applebaum points out that democracy is gradually being cornered and autocracy is spreading in the United States and Europe. In the book, she says that dictators are surrounded by political allies, bureaucrats, and media who support dictatorship. She also shows how authoritarian and nationalist parties exploit conspiracy theories, political polarization, social media, and nostalgia for the past.

National Public Radio (NPR), the American public broadcaster, left a review stating that the rise and rule of President Donald Trump reveal the true meaning of democracy today.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.