Defending Democracy: reactions to extremist parties in interwar European democracies

Defence date: 9 December 2000Examining board: Prof. Stefano Bartolini (EUI), supervisor ; Prof. Klaus von Beyme (Karls-Ruprechts Universität Heidelberg) ; Prof. Peter Mair (Leiden Universiteit) ; Prof. Philippe C. Schmitter (EUI)PDF of thesis uploaded from the Library digitised archive of EUI PhD theses completed between 2013 and 2017How does a democracy deal with threats to its stability and continued existence when those threats come from political parties that play the democratic game? In Defending Democracy, political scientist Giovanni Capoccia studies key European nations between World Wars I and II which survived such democratic crises. A comprehensive and thoughtful historical analysis of the democracies of interwar Europe, Defending Democracy provides a unique perspective on the many lessons to be learned from their successes and failures. With this exclusively empirical investigative approach, Capoccia develops a methodology for analyzing contemporary democracies -- such as Algeria, Turkey, Israel, and others -- where similar political conditions are present. Given the rise of terrorism and the persistence of extremism in both established and new democracies today, continued research and dialogue on the defense of democracy are necessary for its preservation