Democracy Denied, 1905-1915

“Uniquely valuable, as well as suddenly relevant… For today’s reader, the most absorbing sections of this book are likely to be those taking up Iran, since common wisdom, both among critics of Islamic society and enemies of the neoconservative vision for Iraq and Afghanistan, holds that the faith of the Prophet Muhammad and democracy are incompatible. In reality, as Kurzman records in detail, numerous partisans of change in the Muslim empires embraced a modernizing, rationalist, reformist, and positivist Islamic vocabulary.”—Stephen Schwartz, The Weekly Standard

“Kurzman’s mastery of a wide range of sources and languages allows him to draw surprising connections… The intellectuals of 1905–1915 were, Kurzman amply shows, deluded about their peoples’ readiness for democracy. They were ahead of their time, a misfortune not just their own, but their countries’.”—Adam Kirsch, City Journal

“The scope of this book is unique. No comparative study of countries so disparate in geography and cultural tradition has ever been attempted. The result is a landmark in comparative historical sociology.”—Houchang E. Chehabi, Boston University

“This book is a major contribution to the study of democracy in the modern world. While it deals with developments at the beginning of the twentieth century, it will be important for understanding democratization at the beginning of the twenty-first century as well.”—John Voll, Georgetown University