How to Dismantle a Democracy

Democracies do not die in military coups. They are dismantled slowly, by libel laws, through tax audits, and procedure. Democracies are dismantled by bureaucrats and judges, not by soldiers and heavy-handed policing. It has always been thus, from ancient Rome to present-day Tunisia. The program outlines the tricks of the trade that imperceptibly kill democracies – and how examples in Mexico, Turkey, India and Poland illustrate that the autocratic playbook is nearly always the same. With Anne Applebaum, historian and staff writer at The Atlantic, Amy Slipowitz, research manager at Freedom House, Greta Rios, co-executive director, People Power, David Runciman, professor of politics at the University of Cambridge, Professor Larry Diamond, Stanford University, Jennifer Gandhi, professor of political science and global affairs, Yale University, Renata Uitz, professor of law and government at Royal Holloway, The University of London. Presenter: Matt Qvortrup Producer: Bob Howard Editor: Clare Fordham

You can listen to How to Dismantle a Democracy online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

How to Dismantle a Democracy is an episode from Analysis by BBC.

This episode is 28:53 long.

This episode was published on Feb 19, 2024.

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