Soft despotism, democracy's drift

Montesquieu, Rousseau, Tocqueville, and the modern prospect

by Paul Anthony Rahe

2009 374 pages eng

"In 1989, the Cold War abruptly ended and it seemed as if the world was at last safe for democracy. But a spirit of uneasiness, discontent, and world-weariness soon arose and has persisted in Europe, in America, and elsewhere for two decades. To discern the meaning of this malaise we must investigat…