PO 241 Democracy & Autocracy (GD)

Social Science. Democracy has been described as "the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time" (Winston Churchill, in Hansard, HC Deb 11 November 1947 vol. 444 cc203-321). In this class we discuss definitions of and alternatives to democracy, debate the pros and cons, and examine why democratic political regimes have emerged and spread.