We live in an age of democratic aspirations: a time of hunger for human rights and basic freedoms, an era that has witnessed the birth of representative governments and civil rights movements all around the globe. It is also a time in which established democracies are facing their own crises of conscience—questions of dissent, of censorship, of personal freedom. The Democracy Reader distills all the enduring issues of democracy and the rights of the individual in a fascinating collection of documents, speeches, essays, poems, and declarations. Over 100 entries—from Plato, Locke, Burke, Jefferson, and Lincoln through King, Havel, Fang Lizhe, Mandela, and Rushdie—trace the rise of democratic ideals and democratic societies throughout the world. Each piece is set in historical context by a short introduction, and many are illustrated with photographs or artwork of the period. Stirring, thought-provoking, heartbreaking, profound—The Democracy Reader is an essential book for lovers of liberty everywhere.