Table of Contents

Tables and Figures
Acknowledgments
Part I: The Theoretical Framework
1. Democratic Stability and Democratic Crisis
2. The Challenges: Antisystem Parties
3. The Defense: Strategies against Extremism
Part II: Case Studies
4. Czechoslovakia
5. Belgium
6. Finland
Part III: Comparative Perspectives
7. Defense of Democracy: Actors and Strategies in Comparative Perspective
8. Conclusion
Appendix A: Party Names and Translations
Appendix B: Government Coalitions and Alignments in Presidential Elections
Appendix C: Anti-extremist Legislation in Czechoslovakia, Finland, and Belgium
Notes
Bibliography
Index

About the Author

Giovanni Capoccia is a professor of comparative politics at the University of Oxford.

Reviews

A well-crafted study that sheds additional light on how and why democracy was not altogether submerged in the troubled interwar period. History: Review of New Books Defending Democracy is likely to spark fruitful discussion. Perspectives on Politics Capoccia's exploration is both informative and provocative... would equally benefit students and scholars of democratic government, interwar Europe and the survival and breakdown of democratic regimes. Political Studies Review Elegant, comprehensive, and innovative book... Well worth a careful read. Democratization Giovanni Capoccia develops a rigorously tested argument about elite strategies of responding to extremism by focusing on interwar Europe. -- Daniel Ziblatt CP-APSA, the Newsletter of the Comparative Politics Organized Section of the American Political Science Association