Levitsky book summaries

“Democracies may die at the hands not of generals but of elected leaders—presidents or prime ministers who subvert the very process that brought them to power.”

Opening of the introduction, setting the book's central thesis.

“Mutual toleration and institutional forbearance are the unwritten rules that make democracy work.”

Chapter 2, where the authors define the two key norms.

“The Republican Party, the oldest political party in the world, had become the vehicle for an authoritarian movement.”

Chapter 4, discussing Trump's rise.

“When one party abandons the norms of mutual toleration and institutional forbearance, it sets the stage for democratic breakdown.”

Chapter 6, on the erosion of unwritten rules.

“The only way to stop an authoritarian is to defeat him at the ballot box, and that requires building a broad coalition.”

Chapter 8, on defending democracy.