9781422277683

D D emocracy wasn’t the inspired invention of some basic ideas underpinning democracy—that government exists for the benefit of the people, and that it must have their con- sent to be legitimate—may seem obvious today. But such was not the case throughout most of human history. Authoritarian Rule Through the Ages Historically, coercion rather than consent was the governing principle in most civilizations. Individual rulers or a small rul- ing class wielded near-absolute power. They demanded obedi- ence from their subjects. They used violence or the threat of violence to maintain social control. brilliant individual. It didn’t spring up fully formed or sweep rapidly across the globe once introduced. The

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