Anger, fear, domination: dark passions and the power of political speech

The liberal democratic surge that began in the 1970s and accelerated after the collapse of the Soviet Union has gone into reverse. Internal challenges to existing liberal democracies have strengthened and autocracies have gained momentum. Analysts have pointed to discontent with deindustrialization and globalization as well as controversies over immigration and cultural issues as causes of liberal democratic decline. While not rejecting these explanations, Brookings Senior Fellow William Galston’s new book, “Anger, Fear, Domination: Dark Passions and the Power of Political Speech,” focuses on other sources of liberal democratic decline rooted in the internal vulnerabilities of liberal democracy, on the ability of ambitious leaders to mobilize public anger and fear in the service of domination, and on the power of political speech in democracies to both arouse and soothe these dark passions.

On September 10, join the Governance Studies program at Brookings for a fireside chat with Brookings Senior Fellows Jonathan Rauch and William Galston to discuss his new book, which is summarized in Galston’s article, “Liberalism Without Illusions.” This event will be open to attend in person or watch online. Online viewers can submit questions via e-mail to [email protected].