The Concepts and Theories of Modern Democracy

This highly acclaimed and popular academic text is now available in a new edition, having been revised and updated to cover the analyses of the use, abuse and ambiguity of many essential concepts used in political discourse and political studies. These include basic concepts such as liberty, democracy, rights, representation, authority and political power.

New to this edition are three sections of great topical interest:

• entirely original analysis of global terrorism, which puts the recent developments of Islamic terrorism into perspective by comparing it with earlier examples of terrorist tactics by a variety of state agencies, revolutionary groups and minority nationalist movements
• extended discussion on multiculturalism, which supplements theoretical arguments with succinct summaries of the differing ways in which ethnic and cultural minorities have been dealt with in Canada, Britain, France and the Netherlands
• section on democratization that focuses on the problems, social and political and even theological, involved in turning authoritarian regimes into stable democracies in the Middle East and elsewhere.

Concepts and Theories of Modern Democracy is a stimulating guide to current world problems as well as essential reading for foundation courses at first or second year level such as elements of politics, political concepts and ideas and fundamentals in politics.

Anthony H. Birch is Emeritus Professor at the University of Victoria, Canada. He has London degrees and pursued postdoctoral studies at Harvard and the University of Chicago. He has taught political science at universities in England, the United States, Australia and Canada, has published eight books and numerous articles, has served for three years as Vice-President of the International Political Science Association and is Fellow of the Royal Society in Canada.