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We Checked 100 Years of Protests in 150 Countries. Here's What We Learned About the Working Class and Democracy.

| Oct. 24, 2019

Monkey Cage

The success of mass protests depends on who is doing the protesting.

Many observers fear that democracy is currently at risk — including in the United States and some European countries. Some commentators blame less-educated members of the working classes for the democratic backlash.

According to the stereotype, these voters tend to be skeptical of economic globalization and immigration — and perhaps more inclined to support authoritarian populist politicians and parties. Political analysts tend to see the more educated urban middle classes, in contrast, as staunch defenders of democratic values and principles.

But are industrial workers really an anti-democratic force?...

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For more information on this publication: Belfer Communications Office
For Academic Citation:

Dahlum, Sirianne, Carl Henrik Knutsen and Tore Wig."We Checked 100 Years of Protests in 150 Countries. Here's What We Learned About the Working Class and Democracy." The Washington Post, October 24, 2019.

The Authors

Carl Henrik Knutsen

Tore Wig

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