Global democratic backsliding
- Date
- 2010s (ongoing democratic recession)
- Category
- Politics & governance
- Region
- Global
- Era
- Contemporary
- Significance
After the post-1990s spread of democracy that followed the end of the Cold War, the 2010s saw a sustained reversal that monitoring organisations described as a global 'democratic recession'.
Freedom House recorded consecutive annual declines in political rights and civil liberties worldwide for more than fifteen years from the mid-2000s, with sharper drops after 2012. Scholars documented backsliding in established and newer democracies alike, including Hungary, Poland, Turkey, Brazil, Venezuela, India, and the United States, often via elected leaders who weakened courts, media, and electoral institutions from within rather than through coups. The pattern was characterised by the erosion of checks and balances, the rise of 'illiberal democracy', and the spread of nationalist and populist movements. Causes debated by analysts included economic insecurity after the 2008 financial crisis, migration anxieties, and social-media-driven polarisation. The trend reframed scholarly and policy understanding of democracy as something that could decay gradually rather than collapse suddenly.
One piece of history in your inbox, weekly
New empires, events and features as they land — one good email a week. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Related politics & governance events
- The Snowden revelations on mass surveillanceJune 2013
- UN Adopts CEDAW, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women18 December 1979
- The end of apartheid and Nelson Mandela's election in South Africa27 April 1994 (election); 10 May 1994 (inauguration)
- Dissolution of the Soviet UnionAugust–December 1991
- German reunification3 October 1990
- Fall of the Berlin Wall9 November 1989
Also relevant
Further reading
The wider story
The Penguin History of the World
The definitive one-volume world history — every era and continent in a single narrative.
Get it on Amazon →As an Amazon Associate, Human Saga earns from qualifying purchases.