Synopses & Reviews
'The Dark Side of Democracy is the most comprehensive study of ethnic cleansing.'
Review
"Michael Mann is a purveyor of big ideas, and this big book is full of them, brilliant, powerful, and provocative. Starting from its title, The Dark Side of Democracy launches a debate that will reshape our understanding of the worst of human history in the light of the best, and of the ancient in the light of the modern. Mann combines close empirical insights with a magisterial conceptual grasp. Every page offers points to applaud, dispute, and reflect on. We will be arguing about this work for years, and whatever conclusions we reach will be sharper for it." Ben Kiernan, Director, Genocide Studies Program, Yale University"One of our most distinguished political analysts has turned his attention to the darkest corners of political life, to murderous ethnic conflict. As sketched in this superb book, Mann's account of such cases is timely, provocative - who, for instance, would want to believe that ethnic cleansing bears the imprint of democracy - and ultimately persuasive. A must, if disturbing, read." Doug McAdam, Department of Sociology, Stanford University"Michael Mann's new book is sweeping in its coverage and daring in its argumentation. Its central theme - that murderous ethnic cleansing has accompanied the rise of salvation religion and modern democracy - flies in the face of some broadly held assumptions, namely, that such extreme actions can be explained by recrudescent ancient hatreds or the cynical manipulation of authoritarian elites. Well-researched and compellingly written, this is one of the best recent books on the subject available today." Beth A. Simmons, Harvard University"Free from sociological jargon and abundant in historical data, this study sufficiently allows lay readers access." Publishers Weekly
Review
"Michael Mann, one of the great sociological thinkers of our day published two impressive books this year (both from Cambridge University Press)..[in]"The Dark Side of Democracy" he examines the intimate connection between democratization and ethnic cleansing... [and] unlike most sociologists, Mann does not write in jargon. Though certainly dense, these books will reward the effort of any non-scholar willing to tackle them."
- Newsday"The book is impressive in its historical dimensions."
- Canadian Journal of Sociology Online"This book, almost encyclopedic in content and rich in descriptive analysis, makes a significant contribution to political sociology and should be required reading for social scientists, political leaders, and policy makers. Essential."
-Choice"Michael Mann is a purveyor of big ideas, and this big book is full of them, brilliant, powerful, and provocative. Starting from its title, The Dark Side of Democracy launches a debate that will reshape our understanding of the worst of human history in the light of the best, and of the ancient in the light of the modern. Mann combines close empirical insights with a magisterial conceptual grasp. Every page offers points to applaud, dispute, and reflect on. We will be arguing about this work for years, and whatever conclusions we reach will be sharper for it."
- Ben Kiernan, Director, Genocide Studies Program, Yale University"One of our most distinguished political analysts has turned his attention to the darkest corners of political life, to murderous ethnic conflict. As sketched in this superb book, Mann's account of such cases is timely, provocative - who, for instance, would want to believe that ethnic cleansing bears the imprint of democracy - and ultimately persuasive. A must, if disturbing, read."
- Doug McAdam, Department of Sociology, Stanford University"Michael Mann's new book is sweeping in its coverage and daring in its argumentation. Its central theme - that murderous ethnic cleansing has accompanied the rise of salvation religion and modern democracy - flies in the face of some broadly held assumptions, namely, that such extreme actions can be explained by recrudescent ancient hatreds or the cynical manipulation of authoritarian elites. Well-researched and compellingly written, this is one of the best recent books on the subject available today."
- Beth A. Simmons, Harvard University"Free from sociological jargon and abundant in historical data, this study sufficiently allows lay readers access."
- Publishers Weekly"Michael Mann's The Dark Side of Democracy is an excellent attempt to theorize the origins and escalation of ethnic cleansing by focusing on political power relations within a society."
- H-Genocide, Susumu Suzuki, Department of Political Science, Wayne State University
About the Author
Michael Mann is a Professor of Sociology at University of California, Los Angeles. He is author of The Sources of Social Power (Cambridge 1986, 1993) and Fascists (Cambridge, 2004).
Table of Contents
1. The argument; 2. Ethnic cleansing in former times; 3. Two versions of 'we, the people'; 4. Genocidal democracies in the New World; 5. Armenia, I: into the danger zone; 6. Armenia, II: genocide; 7. Nazis, I: radicalization; 8. Nazis, II: fifteen hundred perpetrators; 9. Nazis, III: genocidal careers; 10. Germany's allies and auxiliaries; 11. Communist cleansing: Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot; 12. Yugoslavia, I: into the danger zone; 13. Yugoslavia, II: murderous cleansing; 14. Rwanda, I: into the danger zone; 15. Rwanda, II: genocide; 16. Counterfactual cases: India and Indonesia; 17. Combating ethnic cleansing in the world today.