The Revolt of the Elites and the Betrayal of Democracy: A Timeless Warning for Today
In a world where the echoes of history often seem to repeat, a 1996 book has reemerged as a hauntingly prescient guide to understanding our fractured times. The Revolt of the Elites and the Betrayal of Democracy, written by the late American historian Christopher Lasch, has struck a chord in an era defined by polarization, populism, and the uneasy relationship between the ruling class and the working majority.
Lasch’s posthumously published work, completed with the help of his daughter, historian Elizabeth Lasch-Quinn, paints a stark picture of a society divided. At its core is the growing chasm between two Americas: one composed of highly educated, liberal elites who wield cultural, political, and economic power, and the other made up of the traditional working class, increasingly alienated and disenchanted. These two groups, Lasch argues, no longer speak the same language or share the same values, leaving democracy itself in peril.
The consequences of this divide are starkly visible today. On one side, we see the rise of chauvinist populism—a reactive, often hostile, backlash against the perceived arrogance of elites. On the other, there is a brand of liberalism that masquerades as radical but is rooted in elitism, obsessed with symbolic struggles over issues like anti-racism and personal growth. Both sides, in their own ways, have abandoned the idea of a common democracy—a shared public life built on mutual understanding and collective ideals.
What Lasch’s work makes clear is that this is not merely a political or economic crisis but a cultural one. The loss of shared spaces, values, and vocabularies has left us fragmented and distrustful, unable to imagine a future that includes all of us. His warning is as urgent now as it was when the book was written: if we cannot reclaim a sense of shared citizenship and democratic solidarity, the very foundations of our society will continue to erode.
The Revolt of the Elites is more than a diagnosis of our current malaise; it is a call to action. It challenges us to rethink what democracy means—and to what extent we are willing to fight for it. As we grapple with the crises of our time, Lasch’s timeless insights remind us that the future of democracy depends not on the triumph of one side over the other, but on our ability to rebuild a common world, together.
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