The Democratic Experience and Political Violence

This collection brings together distinguished scholars who have come to believethat democracies have a special proclivity to stimulate political violence.Cold W... » 

This collection brings together distinguished scholars who have come to believethat democracies have a special proclivity to stimulate political violence.Cold War preoccupations and tendencies to ignore historical experiences haveobscured this characteristic as has a naive assumption that when appropriatepeaceful means for settling disputes are provided the need and thus thelikelihood for violence dissipates. But the more we know about this feature ofdemocracy the more effective our responses will be.The violence associated with elections is the dominant concern analyzed on ageneral level and in particular case studies such as in Israel Italy easternEurope and the US. Forms of violence more conspicuous in but not exclusive todemocratic states receive special attention for instance ethnic strife riotsand terrorism. The focus is on national politics but the impact of democraticinstitutions in shaping international responses to violence receives attentiontoo.Finally some very general issues are scrutinized. What does a persistanthistory of violence signify for national developments? Why do democracies havea proclivity for violence and can one make sense of Thomas Jeffersons dictathat democratic states need violence periodically to sustain themselves? «