El ocaso de la democracia

Modern Western democracies are under siege and the rise of authoritarianism is an issue that should concern us all. In The Twilight of Democracy, Anne Applebaum (a Pulitzer Prize winner and one of the first historians to alert to dangerous antidemocratic trends in the West) clearly and concisely exposes the pitfalls of nationalism and autocracy. In this extraordinary essay she explains why systems with simple and radical messages are so attractive. Despotic leaders do not come to power alone; They do so supported by political allies, armies of bureaucrats, and the media that pave the way and support their mandates. Likewise, the nationalist and authoritarian parties that have been gaining relevance in modern democracies offer perspectives that exclusively benefit their supporters, allowing them to reach unmatched levels of wealth and power. Following in the footsteps of Julien Benda and Hannah Arendt, Applebaum portrays the new defenders of illiberal ideas and denounces how these authoritarian elites use conspiracy theories, political polarization, the terrifying reach of social media and even the feeling of nostalgia. to destroy everything and redefine our idea of ??nation.