Un largo Termidor

Synopsis of Un largo Termidor

In 'Un largo Termidor', Gerardo Pisarello examines the paradox of democracy in today's world, where it is presented as the most legitimate political regime, but its elements are in crisis. The author argues that dominant liberal conceptions minimize the distance between the democratic ideal and its practice, reducing it to a technique of elite replacement. Pisarello argues that this restrictive view obscures the deep historical meaning of democracy and provides cover for regimes that operate as isonomic oligarchies. Through a critical analysis of historical theories and practices, the book explores how the democratic principle has been stripped of its egalitarian and emancipatory component, revealing an anti-democratic constitutionalism with oligarchic features in the current crisis.