Forum: Demokratieverachtung / Contempt of Democracy

Europe and the US are currently being confronted with new forms of populist nationalism. Authoritarian desires have raised a renewed interest in the interwar period, when parliamentary democracy lived through its greatest crisis so far and failed; and not only in Germany. Six contributions to this issue explore the democratic experience and authoritarian forces in Czechoslovakia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Yugoslavia, and hint at insights to be gained from a comparative approach. The line between legitimate controversy in pluralist society and destructive contempt is often a thin one and is not always easily discernible.

With contributions by D. Djokić, T. Kössler, M. Kopeček, F. Maubach S. Middendorf, J. v. Puttkamer, S. Reichardt.