How Political Polarization Ends
History shows that, if left untreated, extreme political and social divisions are a mortal threat to democracy.
Illustration: Nick Dahlen for Bloomberg
As Americans digest the result of this week’s presidential election and wonder about the future of their country and its politics, they must reckon with the fact that political polarization seldom simply abates with a change in leadership. In fact, history indicates that democratic backsliding is a frequent outcome, and sustained “depolarization” has usually occurred after a major shock to the political system. Those shocks are often violent.
The good news is that depolarization is possible and is often spurred by democratic reforms. The bad news, according to my research, is that it is also rare. Polarization is a mortal threat to democracy, and if the US hopes to avoid violence and authoritarianism it needs to contemplate significant reforms to its political institutions and reinvigorate a commitment to a common purpose.