John Gray
Destination Denmark
Political Order and Political Decay: From the Industrial Revolution to the Globalization of Democracy
By Francis Fukuyama
Profile Books 658pp £25
‘A liberal democracy,’ according to Francis Fukuyama, ‘cannot be said to be humanly universal, since such regimes have existed for only the last two centuries in the history of a species that goes back tens of thousands of years. But development is a coherent process that produces general as well as specific evolution – that is, the convergence of institutions across culturally disparate societies over time.’ Fukuyama intends this declaration as a statement of the idea that underlies this book – the bulky second instalment of what his publisher describes as ‘the most important work of political thought in at least a generation’.
Fukuyama achieved fame at the end of the Cold War for announcing ‘the end of history’ (an idea he claims has been widely misunderstood) and celebrating the worldwide reach of Western power and values. Today, possibly somewhat chastened by events, he is no longer writing in such triumphalist terms. He
Sign Up to our newsletter
Receive free articles, highlights from the archive, news, details of prizes, and much more.@Lit_Review
Follow Literary Review on Twitter
Twitter Feed
London's East End was long synonymous with poverty and sweatshops, while its West End was associated with glamour and high society. But when it came to the fashion industry, were the differences really so profound?
Sharman Kadish - Winkle-pickers & Bum Freezers
Sharman Kadish: Winkle-pickers & Bum Freezers - Fashion City: How Jewish Londoners Shaped Global Style; Fashion City: ...
literaryreview.co.uk
In 1982, Donald Rumsfeld presented Saddam Hussein with a pair of golden spurs. Two decades later he was dropping bunker-busting bombs on his palaces.
Where did the US-Iraqi relationship go wrong?
Rory Mccarthy - The Case of the Vanishing Missiles
Rory Mccarthy: The Case of the Vanishing Missiles - The Achilles Trap: Saddam Hussein, the United States and the ...
literaryreview.co.uk
Barbara Comyns was a dog breeder, a house painter, a piano restorer, a landlady... And a novelist.
@nclarke14 on the lengths 20th-century women writers had to go to make ends meet:
Norma Clarke - Her Family & Other Animals
Norma Clarke: Her Family & Other Animals - Barbara Comyns: A Savage Innocence by Avril Horner
literaryreview.co.uk