Why do some democracies succeed while others fail? In seeking an answer to this classic problem, G. Bingham Powell, Jr. examines the record of voter participation, government stability, and violence in 29 democracies during the 1960s and 1970s. The core of the book and its most distinguishing feature is the treatment of the role of political parties in mobilizing citizens and containing violence.

G. Bingham Powell, Jr. is Professor of Political Science, University of Rochester, and the coauthor of Comparative Politics: System, Process, and Policy.