Conceptions of and Corrections to Majoritarian Tyranny

(Paperback)

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The fundamental tenet of democracy is that the majority rules. Yet as James Madison wrote, 'Wherever the real power in a Government lies, there is the danger of oppression.' In this focused new work, Don Beahm synthesizes some of the most powerful conceptualizations of, and corrections to, the majority tyranny as explicated by James Madison, Alexis de Tocqueville, John C. Calhoun, Robert A. Dahl, and Lani Guinier. In conjunction with this synthesis, Beahm presents his analysis of the main causes of majoritarian tyranny, concluding that while American two-party politics, winner-take-all districting, and voting system may be reformed, the social causes of individual and group interests may only be corrected by proportional representation.

Reviews

Donald Beahm has given us. . .a valuable analysis of a serious problemunbridled majority rulethat is often ignored by champions of democracy. -- Richard Young
It is an important work on the problem of majoritarian tyranny, one which analyzes and synthesizes the positions of the greatest American political philosophers who dealt with the subject. -- John L. Safford, University of South Carolina

Author Bio

Donald L. Beahm is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Dowling College.