Is Democracy at Risk? A Lesson Planfor U.S. and Global History ClassesJan. 23, 2018

Civics

For years, the number of democracies in the world had been on the rise, but recently the trend has stalled. The

New York Times journalists Max Fisher and Amanda Taub explore why some democratic countries have backslid,

while others never quite made it.

Often we take for granted that the United States is a democracy, and thatdemocracy is a form of government worth celebrating. This lesson startsthere, but then pushes students to reflect on why democracies are worthprotecting, what elements are essential to a healthy democracy and how itis that democracies sometimes fail.

We hope the elements in this lesson can be adapted for use in socialstudies, history and civics classes, of course, but also in English classes.You might decide to use the activities in the order presented below, whichwould likely require multiple teaching periods, or you can mix and matchactivities and resources depending on what youʼre teaching and why.

But no matter how you decide to tackle this topic, we think it s̓ worth takingtime in school to have students stop and think about what kind ofgovernment they want for the kind of society they want to live in — andwhat role they play as individuals in making that system of government areality.

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Warm Up: Defining Democracy

Ask students to write a response to these questions first, and then discuss

in pairs or small groups and, finally, as a whole class:

• What does “democracy” mean? (If youʼre not sure, then here s̓ adictionary definition, here s̓ a more detailed discussion about different typesof democracies, and here are brief quotations about democracy.) • What are its benefits as a system of government? What are itsdisadvantages?• Is democracy worth protecting? Is it a better form of government thanother systems, such as dictatorships, oligarchies and monarchies? Why orwhy not?

Activity 1: Questioning the Strength of Democracy

Next, have the class watch the above five-minute video, “Is ThereSomething Wrong With Democracy?” by Max Fisher and Amanda Taub. Itanalyzes why democracies sometimes fail, and questions whetherestablished democracies, like the United States, are at all vulnerable. Whilethey watch, students should take notes on the reasons democracies eitherfail, weaken or never take hold in the first place.

Then, have pairs or small groups discuss:

• What in the film stood out to you? • What did you learn?• Were there any surprises? Anything that challenged what you know — orthought you knew?• What questions do you still have?

As a class, students can share their reactions to the film.

Activity 2: Examining Anti-Democratic Forces inVenezuela, Turkey and Hungary

Hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans took to the streets of Caracas in

October 2016 to demand a referendum to oust President NicolásMaduro.Meridith Kohut for The New York Times

Hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans took to the streets of Caracas in October 2016 to demand a referendum to

oust President Nicolás Maduro.Meridith Kohut for The New York Times

For this next activity, students will work in groups to understand in detail acase study of how democracy has been dismantled or is being eroded by astrong elected leader and a ruling party. Each group will use a recent Timesarticle to study anti-democratic forces in one of three countries: Venezuela,Turkey and Hungary.

While reading their assigned article, students should keep track of ways aleader and his ruling party chipped away at democratic institutions andvalues. For each way they identify, they should evaluate how significantthey think the change is.

Below are links to the three articles as well as brief excerpts that provide a

preview to what each is about:

Venezuela

In “How Does Populism Turn Authoritarian? Venezuela Is a Case in Point”(Apr. 1, 2017), Max Fisher and Amanda Taub write:

Venezuela s̓ fate stands as a warning: Populism is a path that, at itsoutset, can look and feel democratic. But, followed to its logicalconclusion, it can lead to democratic backsliding or even outrightauthoritarianism.

Turkey

In “The West Hoped for Democracy in Turkey. Erdogan Had Other Ideas”(Aug. 18, 2018), Peter S. Goodman writes:

In Western capitals a decade ago, Turkey s̓ now-paramount leader,Recep Tayyip Erdogan, held promise as a potential beacon of democracyfor a region rife with religious conflict.

The article continues:

But that was before Mr. Erdogan began amassing supreme powers, andbefore his brutal crackdown on dissent following an attempted coup twoyears ago. It was before Turkey descended into a financial crisisdelivered in no small measure by his authoritarian proclivities andunorthodox stewardship of the economy. Whatever was left of the notionthat Mr. Erdogan was a liberalizing force has been wholly extinguished.

Hungary

In “How Viktor Orban Bends Hungarian Society to His Will” (March 27,2018), Patrick Kingsley writes:

For the past eight years, Mr. Orban has waged a systemic assault on the

hardware of Hungary s̓ democracy — rewriting the national Constitution,reshaping the judiciary and tweaking the electoral system to favor hisFidesz party. Less conspicuously, Mr. Orban is also trying to recode thesoftware of Hungary s̓ democracy — its cultural sphere, civil society andeducation system.

After students finish analyzing their article, they should share their findingswith the class, and then the class can compare and contrast what is goingon in these different countries.

They can also consider: Did the ideas presented in the film about whydemocracies sometimes fail capture the reality of what is taking place inVenezuela, Turkey and Hungary? Are there lessons to be learned for othercountries about how to protect their own democracies?

Activity 3: Identifying Essential Elements in aDemocracy

The previous activities give students an understanding about whydemocracy as a form of government is sometimes fragile and needs to benurtured. Students will evaluate what they think are the essentialcomponents of a healthy democracy and how to protect it from anti-democratic forces, even when its citizens arenʼt aware of what s̓ going on.

In this activity, students will work in small groups and rank the following 14elements, common in democracies, from most important to least important.They can ask themselves: If a society doesnʼt have this element, is it still ademocracy?

If you are short on time, students can instead identify the three mostimportant elements and explain why they are critical to a workingdemocracy. Here is a handout (PDF) with instructions to walk studentsthrough the activity.

Instructions: Rank these 14 elements in a democracy from most essential toleast essential:

checks and balances: a system of separate branches of government thatensures political power is not concentrated in the hands of a single branch civic participation: a society in which people take their civic dutiesseriously, such as by voting, staying informed and advocating issues theycare about economic freedom: people are allowed to earn a living in a freemarketplace education: a system that provides young people with skills and information,so they can make informed decisions and secure economic independence equality: all people are treated equally by the law free and fair elections: regularly scheduled elections in which all votershave an equal opportunity to participate and where final results reflecthonest vote totals freedom: the right to act, speak and think as one wants withoutinterference by the governmentfree press: news media is not controlled or restricted by the government independent judiciary: judges have freedom to decide cases impartially,based on their interpretation of the law and the facts limited government: a constitution that defines and limits the powers ofgovernment minimal corruption: public trust that most elected leaders and civilservants (e.g., police officers and judges) perform their jobs without briberyor criminality multiparty system: a political system that includes multiple parties torepresent the varied interests of the public rule of law: no one is above the law, including government leaders transparency: information on how officials conduct the public businessand spend taxpayersʼ money is readily available and easily understood

When groups are done with their rankings, the class can compare their lists.

Are they more similar or different? Groups can also explain why theyselected certain elements as more important or less important. And, if theynotice any essential elements of democracy that are missing from the list,they can explain why those elements should be included.

Activity 4: Assessing the State of Democracy in theUnited States and Around the World

Chang W. Lee/The New York Times

Chang W. Lee/The New York Times

Students can now apply what they learned about the fragility of democracyto another country.

Democracy in the United States

For U.S. history and civics classes, students can analyze whether Americandemocracy is facing a crisis, or whether it is working as intended. The firsttwo Opinion articles below argue that American democracy is strong andalleged dangers are overblown; the second two argue that threats toAmerican democracy are very real:

Breaking Norms Will Renew Democracy, Not Ruin It by Charles R. Kesler(Opinion)People Are Saying U.S. Democracy Is Falling Apart — But It s̓ ActuallyWorking Like the Constitution Intended It To by Nicholas Allard (BusinessInsider: Opinion) Trump s̓ Threat to Democracy by Nicholas Kristof (Opinion) Why It Can Happen Here by Paul Krugman (Opinion)

Students can also research some of the topics discussed in these Opinionpieces, such as President Trump s̓ attacks on the news media and hisrepeated use of false or misleading claims (The Washington Post) to decideif the president s̓ actions and rhetoric are a threat to American democracy,

or whether they simply “offend against the etiquette of modern liberalgovernance,” as Mr. Kesler argues.

After conducting their research, students can hold a forum about the stateof democracy in the United States, in which they evaluate whether theynotice any actions, rhetoric or patterns that pose a threat to Americandemocracy. As part of the discussion, they can offer suggestions about howthe general public can work together, no matter their political allegiances, tostrengthen democracy in the United States.

Global Democracy

Esteban Felix/Associated Press

Esteban Felix/Associated Press

For global history classes, students can choose another country to researchto look for signs that democracy has already been dismantled, that it iscurrently being threatened or that the existing government has taken stepsto prevent it from ever taking hold. Possible countries to research include:Russia, Saudi Arabia, China (and Hong Kong), Brazil, Ecuador, Sri Lanka, thePhilippines, Nicaragua and Poland.

Here are related excerpts from Times articles about three of thosecountries:

In “Philippinesʼ Top Judge Took On Duterte. Now, She s̓ Out” (May 11,2018), Felipe Villamor writes:

The Philippinesʼ highest court on Friday forced out its chief justice,removing a fierce critic of President Rodrigo Duterte and his brutal waragainst drugs, which has left thousands dead.

Voting 8-6, the Supreme Court justices removed Chief Justice MariaLourdes Sereno, approving a petition filed by the government s̓ lawyer

that questioned the validity of her appointment on the ground that shehad failed to fully disclose her wealth.

Ms. Sereno has been a constant irritant to the increasingly autocraticrule of Mr. Duterte, questioning the validity of his list of public officialsdeemed to be drug suspects and opposing his declaration of martial lawin the southern Philippines.

Senator Risa Hontiveros, a supporter of Ms. Sereno, said the court hadsurrendered its judicial independence and integrity by removing thechief justice.

In “In Just a Week, ‘Nicaragua Changedʼ as Protesters Cracked a Leader s̓Grip” (April 26, 2018), Frances Robles writes:

Faced with a presidential couple that controls virtually every branch ofgovernment and the news media, young people across the nation arecarrying out their own version of an Arab Spring. Armed with cellphonesand social media skills, their challenge to the government hasastonished residents who lived through Mr. Ortega s̓ revolution in the1970s, the civil war in the ʼ80s and the 30 years since then.

Demonstrators — many of them members of Mr. Ortega s̓ own party —have burned vehicles and barricaded intersections. Thousands haveswarmed streets around the country, condemning governmentcensorship and the killing of protesters. After fighting two wars, winningmultiple elections and exerting very tight control over the country foryears, Mr. Ortega has lost his grip on the masses and suddenly seemson the ropes.

In “Poland s̓ Nationalism Threatens Europe s̓ Values, and Cohesion” (Feb.20, 2018), Steven Erlanger and Marc Santora write:

The European Union has accused Poland of posing a grave risk to

democratic values, accusing it of undermining the rule of law by packingthe courts with loyalists. Western leaders have also criticized Poland s̓governing party for pushing virtually all critical voices off the state newsmedia and for restricting free speech with its latest law criminalizing anysuggestion that the Polish nation bore any responsibility in theHolocaust.

The tug of war has intensified as Eastern Europe becomes the incubatorfor a new model of “illiberal democracy” for which Hungary has laid thegroundwork. But it is Poland — so large, so rich, so militarily powerfuland so important geostrategically — that will define whether theEuropean Union s̓ long effort to integrate the former Soviet blocsucceeds or fails.

When students have completed their research, the class can hold a forumabout the state of democracy worldwide in which they share their findings,work together to notice similarities and differences and assess thesignificance of any trends they notice.

Or, as an alternative, students might annotate a world map or create theirown infographics that visually depict what they have learned about thestate of democracy in the world today.

Wrap Up: Finding the “I” and “We” in Democracy

Even though democracy has a simple definition — government by thepeople — in reality, it is a complex system that requires constant vigilanceto ensure it does not fall apart. What role can individuals play — forexample, students and teachers — to make sure that “we the people” are infact the foundation, purpose and directors of our government?

To conclude this lesson, ask students to write about or discuss the followingquestions:

• What role do students and teachers play in a democracy?• What actions, whether small or large, can you take as an individual to helpstrengthen democracy in your local community, state, nation or world? • Do you think democracy is worth protecting? What s̓ at stake if it weakensor crumbles?

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Additional Resources

Facing History and Ourselves | The Reconstruction Era and the Fragility ofDemocracy, The Weimar Republic: The Fragility of Democracy and WhatMakes Democracy Work?

The Choices Program | Teaching With the News

Civitas International | We the People and Project Citizen

iCivics

Teaching Tolerance and Rock the Vote | Democracy Class

Global Oneness Project | Repairing the Fabric of Democracy

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