Review of Setting the People Free: The Story of Democracy

In this thought-provoking and readable book, John Dunn poses the questions of “what is democracy?” “Why is the term ‘democracy’ so prevalent around the world?” and “Why has democracy come to be seen as the only legitimate means by which a government may now claim to rule?” In seeking to answer these questions, he ranges from the bases of democracy in classical Athens through the French and American revolutions and all the way up to the present day (or at least until 2005, when the book was first published).

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Athenian Democracy

It is well-known that modern forms of democracy have developed from the original model from classical Athens, although the actual nature of Athenian democracy is less well-known. There are several important differences. First, the majority of the Athenian population was not enfranchised: women, of course, slaves and those otherwise classified as non-citizens were not permitted to vote.

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