A Democracy Capable of Defending Itself. Revisiting theLegacy of Karl Loewenstein

Abstract

Liberal democracies, at this stage of the twenty-first century, are reenacting an old paradox that has resurfaced with particular intensity, their greatest innovative strength, pluralistic openness to organized dissent, can become the channel of their self-destruction. Contemporary authoritarianism rarely erupts through coups d’état or the sudden abolition of constitutions. Rather, it advances from within institutions, using elections, parliaments, and courts to gradually erode the rule of law.