For the last two and a half centuries, we have been engaged in an experiment on democracy at an unprecedented scale. Join David Stasavage to discuss how understanding the strengths and weaknesses of our current system depends upon seeing how three concepts used by medieval Europeans – representation, rule by the people, and citizenship – were scaled up to form the basis of modern democracy.
This event is organized by the Seminar on European Development in a Historical Perspective. It is co-sponsored by the Democracy and Its Critics Initiative led by CES Director Daniel Ziblatt to focus on both the history and contemporary shape of democracy in Europe.
