From a historical and cross-cultural perspective it cannot be denied that most democracies failed. Only western democracies for a short while — from the fall of Soviet communism to the rise of radical Islam — believed themselves to be invincible. It has therefore become necessary to think about political alternatives once more and to study threats to democracy from within and without as well as common modes of failure of democracy across times and cultures. This book marks the start of a daring new debate and re-introduces anti-democratic thought and practice to the academic discourse and into the syllabus. It wishes to offer a serious discussion of anti-democratic thought, rather than an apology of democracy. 'I am the proponent of a new engagement with anti-democratic thought. This book outlines a positive agenda for the future.' — Erich Kofmel (Editor). In a comprehensive overview, contributors to this volume discuss theoretical perspectives as well as examples of anti-democr...