Democracy Before the Ballot: Assemblies Citizenship and Unequal Participation

Democracy has never been defined by elections alone. Long before universal suffrage, communities debated who could speak, deliberate, hold office, or claim protection under shared rules. This book traces democratic practices from ancient assemblies through representative institutions and mass politics. It emphasizes changing boundaries of citizenship and the recurring gap between political ideals and actual participation. By comparing systems rather than celebrating a single national path, readers see democracy as an evolving set of institutions, habits, conflicts, and exclusions.