The History of Democracy ─ A Marxist Interpretation

The concept of democracy has become tarnished in recent years, as governments become disconnected from voters and pursue unpopular policies. And yet the ideal of democracy continues to inspire movements around the world, most recently the uprisings across the Arab world. Brian Roper refreshes our understanding of democracy using a Marxist theoretical framework. He traces the history of democracy as it has passed through various historical moments from Athenian democracy to the Roman Republic, the revolutionary emergence of liberal representative and socialist participatory democracy in Europe and North America, and the global spread of democracy during the past century. Roper argues that democracy cannot be understood separately from underlying processes of exploitation, and the class and social struggles these generate. He offers an engaging Marxist critique of representative democracy, and raises the possibility of alternative socialist and participatory democratic forms, which will be of interest to students and scholars of history, politics, and those in other disciplines who are concerned about the past, present, and future of democracy.

Brian S. Roper lectures in Politics at the University of Otago, New Zealand. He has been involved in the socialist left and political activism in New Zealand since the early 1980s. He is the author of Prosperity for All? Economic, Social and Political Change in New Zealand since 1935 (2005).