David Stasavage, "The Decline and Rise of Democracy: A Global History from Antiquity to Today" (Princeton UP, 2020)

Oct 18, 2025

David Stasavage, Dean for social sciences at NYU and author of *The Decline and Rise of Democracy*, explores the multifaceted history of democracy beyond ancient Greece. He discusses how early democracies thrived in places with weak states and simple technologies. Stasavage warns that modern bureaucracies risk enabling autocratic governance. He also examines the historical significance of the Magna Carta, the evolution of political roles in matrilineal societies, and the impact of colonialism on democratic structures.

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INSIGHT

Ending Mandates Enabled Modern Parliaments

Mandates that bound representatives faded in England in the 14th century, enabling independent parliamentary representation.
This shift allowed modern parliaments to control representatives by election rather than detailed instructions.

INSIGHT

Matrilineality Alters Political Power

Matrilineal societies existed and shaped political influence differently, but widespread origins are unclear.
Among the Iroquois, women led clans and could appoint or remove chiefs without direct council participation.

INSIGHT

Economic Variability Favors Consultation

Heterogeneous, hard-to-observe production makes extraction by rulers difficult and promotes consultative governance.
Uniform, easily observable production eases bureaucratic monitoring and favors autocratic extraction.

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Historical accounts of democracy's rise tend to focus on ancient Greece and pre-Renaissance Europe. The Decline and Rise of Democracy: A Global History from Antiquity to Today (Princeton University Press, 2020) draws from global evidence to show that the story is much richer--democratic practices were present in many places, at many other times, from the Americas before European conquest, to ancient Mesopotamia, to precolonial Africa. Delving into the prevalence of early democracy throughout the world, David Stasavage makes the case that understanding how and where these democracies flourished--and when and why they declined--can provide crucial information not just about the history of governance, but also about the ways modern democracies work and where they could manifest in the future.

Drawing from examples spanning several millennia, Stasavage first considers why states developed either democratic or autocratic styles of governance and argues that early democracy tended to develop in small places with a weak state and, counterintuitively, simple technologies. When central state institutions (such as a tax bureaucracy) were absent--as in medieval Europe--rulers needed consent from their populace to govern. When central institutions were strong--as in China or the Middle East--consent was less necessary and autocracy more likely. He then explores the transition from early to modern democracy, which first took shape in England and then the United States, illustrating that modern democracy arose as an effort to combine popular control with a strong state over a large territory. Democracy has been an experiment that has unfolded over time and across the world--and its transformation is ongoing.

Amidst rising democratic anxieties, The Decline and Rise of Democracy widens the historical lens on the growth of political institutions and offers surprising lessons for all who care about governance.

David Stasavage is dean for the social sciences and Julius Silver Professor of Politics at New York University.