Judul buku      : Bagaimana Demokrasi Mati

Penulis            : Steven Levitsky & Daniel Ziblatt

Penerbit           : PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama

Tahun terbit    : 2019

Penerjemah     : Zia Anshor

Democracy is a popular system of government throughout the world. Many countries venerate this system because it provides individuals or groups with the freedom to voice their opinions. Democracy allows people to unite against authoritarian leaders who limit their freedoms.


However, authoritarianism is a threat to democracy. Authoritarian leaders try to gradually limit people's freedoms, especially freedom of expression, assembly, debate, consensus-building, and opinion intervention. A new pattern of authoritarianism arises by issuing a new constitution designed to silence voices considered disruptive to the leader. The use of state law enforcement tools will also support the implementation of the new constitution. This pattern is very subtle but dangerous because it can kill democracy.


We cannot detect if someone has the potential to become an authoritarian leader until they are elected and in power. However, this book provides four signs that can help identify the characteristics of someone who has the potential to become an authoritarian leader in the future. First, rejecting the rules of democratic play. Second, denying the legitimacy of opponents. Third, tolerating or even encouraging violence. And fourth, restricting civil liberties, including the media. If someone has one of these characteristics, they already have an authoritarian spirit.


However, the question is, will democracy die if led by an authoritarian figure? The answer is clear, yes. The death of democracy begins with subtle indications such as denying voices or violating the constitution. If there are demonstrations and the government stifles the voices of the demonstrators, this will lead to the death of democracy. Therefore, we must be vigilant and pay attention to signs that indicate the emergence of authoritarian leaders to keep democracy alive.


This book explains how democracy can be threatened to the point of death. An example of this is seen in the United States, which is considered the oldest democracy in the world. One real example was when Donald Trump was elected as President in 2016. He is a very popular and populist leader. One characteristic of populist leaders is that they always reject the legitimacy of established political parties and often attack the opposing party for being undemocratic and unpatriotic. Trump claimed that the people's vote had been stolen and built public opinion that democracy in the United States had been hijacked by political elites.


Political parties play an important role in maintaining a country's democracy. If political parties are not able to maintain democracy, authoritarian leaders will emerge in the future. However, this task is not an easy one as there is a risk of the party losing support from voters in elections.