Democracy's Double Helix: Participation, Equality, and Revolution in Early Modern Europe

Where does our modern democracy come from?

It is a composite of two very different things: A medieval tradition of political participation, pluralistic but highly elitist; and the notion of individual equality, emerging during the early modern period. These two things first converged in the American and French revolutions – A convergence that was not only unexpected and unplanned but has remained fragile to this day.

Dr. Lars Behrisch, Associate Professor of Humanities in the Department of History and Art History at Utrecht University, Netherlands. Bio: https://www.uu.nl/staff/LBehrisch