THE SECRET OF DEMOCRACY

This inquiry into the nature of democracy and totalitarianism and their pull on humanity is a fierce defense of the democratic spirit. The author defines democracy in terms of freedoms, among which is the right to have a voice in one's government, and the criterion of which is freedom to oppose it. She weighs the scales of democratic progress and discontent against totalitarian slavery and complacency; she charges impartiality in judging the systems as a ruse, a false equation; she considers the elements of freedom, dynamism, corruption in both forms of government. She finds the appeal of totalitarianism is a mixture of sadism and submissiveness and feels that factors contributing to its out- break in the modern world are the need for God with the turning from religion, Marx, and -- an indication that democracy has the true sanction of the people -- the fact that dictators use the trappings of democracy in their politics. The author considers too the conservative criticisms of democracy and points out that its purpose is to furnish a method for selecting an elite without establishing privileges for the elite. Purposeful, cogent, if you can find a market.