Tyranny of the Minority: Why American Democracy Reached the Breaking Point

“Freedom House’s Global Freedom Index gives countries a score between 0 and 100 each year, with 100 being the most democratic. In 2015, the United States received a score of 90, which was roughly in line with countries like Canada, Italy, France, Germany, Japan, Spain, and the U.K. But after that, America’s score declined steadily, reaching 83 in 2021. Not only was this score lower than every established democracy in western Europe, but it was lower than new or historically troubled democracies like Argentina, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, and Taiwan.”

As American political scientists, Levitsky and Ziblatt understand the depth of polarization within American society. To demonstrate their credibility and build rapport with readers, the authors routinely use data to support assertions that might be viewed as controversial. Not all Americans agree that authoritarianism is on the rise in the country. The authors use data from a well-known nonprofit organization to illustrate the weakening of US democracy over the last several years.

“The more imminent threat facing us today, then, is minority rule. By steering the republic so sharply away from the Scylla of majority tyranny, America’s founders left it vulnerable to the Charybdis of minority rule.”

An important argument made by Levitsky and Ziblatt is that there is a persistent myth regarding the superiority of American institutions. Even today, many Americans still venerate the US Founding Fathers and the US Constitution. They believe both enable stability and prosperity within the country. By contrast, the authors argue that the checks the Founding Fathers put in place to prevent majority tyranny have led to a dangerous and unintended consequence: the over-empowerment of minority rule. To them, minority rule represents the greatest threat to the country, and it is enabled through The Antiquated Elements of American Democracy. They use the symbol of Scylla and Charybdis to illustrate this point (See: Symbols & Motifs).