Twilight of Democracy: The Failure of Politics and the Parting of Friends

In the years following the fall of the Berlin Wall, people from different political backgrounds in Europe and America celebrated a common purpose and forged personal friendships. However, over the subsequent decades, the euphoria dissipated, the common purpose and center ground disappeared, extremism rose, and relationships soured. Anne Applebaum's Twilight of Democracy explores this history by looking at the trajectories of individuals caught up in the public events of the last three decades, asking how they deal with the re-emergence of authoritarian or nationalist ideas, and how they respond when their leaders appropriate history, pedal conspiracies, or eviscerate the media and the judiciary.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 224 pages
Publication date: 24 June 2021
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

The book "Twilight of Democracy" by David Hare was awarded the Financial Times, Economist, and New Statesman Book of the Year 2020. In the years preceding and following the fall of the Berlin Wall, people from diverse political backgrounds in Europe and America celebrated a significant achievement, shared a common purpose, and often formed personal friendships. However, over the subsequent decades, the euphoria dissipated, the common ground and center disappeared, extremism resurged, and ultimately, as this book compellingly demonstrates, the relationships soured as well.

Anne Applebaum explores this history in an unconventional manner, examining the trajectories of individuals caught up in the public events of the past three decades. When politics becomes polarized, which side do you support? If you are a journalist, intellectual, civic leader, how do you navigate the re-emergence of authoritarian or nationalist ideas in your country? When your leaders appropriate history, perpetuate conspiracies, or undermine the media and judiciary, do you comply with them?

"Twilight of Democracy" is an essay that uniquely combines the personal and political, offering a fresh perspective on the dynamics of public life in Europe and America, both in the present and in the recent past.

Weight: 172g
Dimension: 128 x 196 x 18 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780141991672