The Reckless Republic - life in a neglected democracy

What do we learn from history? Obviously not a great deal. But we should at least take notice of what the Weimar period taught us – that a neglected republic is at risk. The recent financial crisis resulted in a moral meltdown of the system – but unlike Japan’s Fukushima, there’s no shut-down at hand; there’s no safety valve, no alternative in sight. So the time has come to get up and make a stand for intrinsic values: justice, law, equality, democracy and freedom. The gloomy smog of capitalism has robbed us of these concepts and now it’s high time to reclaim them. We have abrogated our responsibility for far too long; it has gone astray in a thicket of timid politicians, greedy bankers and a tamed media. It’s just not enough to vote and then fall mute once more, so in this election year, Jakob Augstein presents a book that poses a vital question. What is more important to us: democracy or capitalism?