The Irony of Democracy: An Uncommon Introduction to American Politics

Brief boxes summarize the more difficult arguments in various chapters.
Chapter summaries have been enhanced with "An Elitist Interpretation."
The authors use an uncommon and realistic approach, combining an endorsement of fundamental democratic values with an understanding of the hard realities of the workings of a democracy.
Humor, often in political cartoons, illustrates topics and inspires students to address those issues.
Chapter 14, "The United States as Global Elite," highlights the unprecedented role the U.S. holds as both an economic and military leader. The question at the center of the 15th edition of THE IRONY OF DEMOCRACY is "How democratic is American society?" While most American government texts address politics from a pluralist perspective, this text approaches the subject by addressing the theme of elitism and contrasting it with democratic theory and modern pluralist theory. As a result, this text helps students understand w More »