He seeks to explain the meaning of ‘democracy’ – to this end, he analyses the way the word (and concept) has historically been used and regarded. He concludes that until relatively recently, ‘democracy’ was what we now refer to as ‘direct democracy’ (as practiced, up to a point, in Ancient Athens); The idea of ‘representative democracy’ was anathema to many who called themselves democrats. This exercise consumes the 1st half of this thankfully brief book.
In the 2nd half, Arblaster examines modern day ‘democracies’, arguing that there is vast scope for further implementation of ‘direct democracy’ (especially in light of recent technological advances making communication in real-time) in today’s representative democracies, such as Britain.
The above is fine but, as with so many of these kind of books, one is left with a hollow feeling. While the author succeeds in his ambition of introducing the concept of democracy to the unitiated, it is only the true beginner who will not be left dissatisfied with this book.
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