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Podcast: Dan Snow's History Hit
Episode: The Shortest History of Democracy
Description: In a time of grave uncertainty about the future of our planet, the radical potential of democracy is more important than ever.From its beginnings in Syria-Mesopotamia – and not Athens – to its role in fomenting revolutionary fervour in France and America, democracy has subverted fixed ways of deciding who should enjoy power and privilege, and why. Democracy encourages people to do something radical: to come together as equals, to determine their own lives and futures.In this vigorous, illuminating history, acclaimed political thinker John Keane traces its Byzantine history, from the age of asse...