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Democratic elitism and western political thought (2009)
Die Theorie der demokratischen Elitenherrschaft und das westliche Politikverständnis
[journal article]
Abstract "Many political thinkers have viewed democratic elitism as closing a democratic road they believe is or should be open-ended. Their view of democratic possibilities reflects the auspicious circumstances of Western societies during the past several centuries and especially since World War II. However... view more
"Many political thinkers have viewed democratic elitism as closing a democratic road they believe is or should be open-ended. Their view of democratic possibilities reflects the auspicious circumstances of Western societies during the past several centuries and especially since World War II. However, it involves a conflation of liberal and democratic values. I examine why and how this has occurred, and I argue that liberal and democratic values must be more clearly separated in today's dangerous world. In step with Schumpeter, democracy must be regarded as a method or instrumental value that in some but by no means all circumstances promotes the ultimate liberal value of actively individualistic free people." (author's abstract)... view less
Keywords
elite; elite research; democracy; Western world; conception of democracy; politics; liberalism; value-orientation; twentieth century; post-war society; world order; social milieu; freedom; free democratic basic order; individual; Schumpeter, J.
Classification
General History
Political Process, Elections, Political Sociology, Political Culture
Method
basic research; historical; theory formation
Document language
English
Publication Year
2012
Page/Pages
p. 351-366
Journal
Historical Social Research, 37 (2012) 1
Issue topic
Elite foundations of social theory and politics / Elitetheoretische Grundlagen sozialwissenschaftlicher Theoriebildung und politischer Analyse
DOI
https://doi.org/10.12759/hsr.37.2012.1.351-366
ISSN
0172-6404
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed