How Democracies Die

In the United States party gatekeepers have served an important prodemocratic function, but their influence is also undemocratic. Discuss whether gatekeepers aid or undermine democracy, citing examples of gatekeeping from the text.

The authors note that unwritten rules of mutual toleration and institutional forbearance are essential to the functioning of democratic systems. Identify three instances from the text where mutual toleration was undermined in democratic systems, and describe how this led to a decline in institutional forbearance in each case.

In Chapter 6 the authors note a tension in American democracy: that it was founded on the disenfranchisement of African Americans. Describe how American democracy was founded on a policy of racial exclusion, citing examples from the text.