"Democracy Without Liberalism?" (Marc F. Plattner, July 2025)

Thesis

Liberal democracy is a composite of a democratic element (majority rule) and a liberal element (individual rights). The two can conflict so they must be kept in balance

2 components of liberal democracy

1. democratic: power rests with majority, chosen in free and fair elections with universal suffrage

2. liberal: freedoms of speech, assemblby, religion, protected by rule of law

Two disorders of excess

1. populism: too much of democratic side (orban, erdogan)

2. identity politics: too much of liberal side (stressing what divides citizens)

Different origins

Democracy originated in ancient athens and liberalism is modern (hobbes and locke)

Diamond vs. Zakaria on electoral democracy

Diamond: Help electoral democracies progress to liberal democracy
Zakaria: elections were premature, sequence liberalism first through liberal autocracy

Woodrow wilson

make the world safe for democracy

james madison

pure democracies are incompatible with security and property

hobbes

a monarchist

locke

poeple could choose a non-democratic government

Samuel Huntington

the third wave of democratization

Larry Diamond

coined electoral democracy

Fareed zakaria

illeberal democracy; sequencing

Viktor Orban

Openly praised illiberal democracy

Link to textbook

Mill’s harm principle = liberal side

Rousseau and popular sov. = democratic side