Four Threats: The Recurring Crises of American Democracy

Join Suzanne Mettler and Robert Lieberman, the authors of Four Threats, which explores five moments in history when democracy in the U.S. was under siege: the 1790s, the Civil War, the Gilded Age, the Depression, and Watergate. From this history, four distinct characteristics of disruption emerge. Political polarization, racism and nativism, economic inequality, and excessive executive power. The convergence of all four disruptions marks the contemporary era as a grave moment for democracy. But history provides a valuable repository from which lessons can be drawn about how democracy was eventually strengthened—or weakened.

Order a copy of the book and get an autographed book plate.

SUZANNE METTLER is the John L. Senior Professor of American Institutions in the Government Department at Cornell University. She is the author of five books, and a recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Radcliffe Institute Fellowship, and several book awards. In 2017, she was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

ROBERT C. LIEBERMAN is Krieger-Eisenhower Professor of Political Science at the Johns Hopkins University. He is the author of two award-winning books. He has received fellowships from the Russell Sage Foundation and the American Philosophical Society, and previously served as provost of Johns Hopkins and as dean of Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.











When: Tue., Aug. 18, 2020 at 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Where: Shakespeare & Co.
939 Lexington Ave. (corner of 69th St.)
212-772-3400
Price: Free
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Join Suzanne Mettler and Robert Lieberman, the authors of Four Threats, which explores five moments in history when democracy in the U.S. was under siege: the 1790s, the Civil War, the Gilded Age, the Depression, and Watergate. From this history, four distinct characteristics of disruption emerge. Political polarization, racism and nativism, economic inequality, and excessive executive power. The convergence of all four disruptions marks the contemporary era as a grave moment for democracy. But history provides a valuable repository from which lessons can be drawn about how democracy was eventually strengthened—or weakened.

Order a copy of the book and get an autographed book plate.

SUZANNE METTLER is the John L. Senior Professor of American Institutions in the Government Department at Cornell University. She is the author of five books, and a recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Radcliffe Institute Fellowship, and several book awards. In 2017, she was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

ROBERT C. LIEBERMAN is Krieger-Eisenhower Professor of Political Science at the Johns Hopkins University. He is the author of two award-winning books. He has received fellowships from the Russell Sage Foundation and the American Philosophical Society, and previously served as provost of Johns Hopkins and as dean of Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.

Buy tickets/get more info now