Description

Does democracy truly wither away in obscurity, as the adage implies? This book exposes the fact that modern democracy actually originated in secrecy, contrary to the widely held belief that transparency was its fundamental essence.

In the years leading up to the American and French revolutions, governmental secrecy began to be perceived as tyrannical—a tool of monarchies. However, as revolutionaries endeavored to construct representative governments, they encountered a dilemma. In a climate where earning public trust appeared to necessitate openness, was there ever a place for secrecy? Whether in Philadelphia or Paris, the establishment of popular sovereignty required delicately balancing an ideological drive to eliminate state secrets with the practical necessity of restricting governmental transparency. The struggle over this issue—splitting revolutionaries and confounding founders—would ultimately shape the character of the world's inaugural representative democracies.

By uncovering the unexpectedly shadowy origins of modern democracy, Carter reframes our comprehension of how governance by and for the people emerged during the tumultuous Age of Revolutions.