Anger, Fear, Domination
Dark Passions and the Power of Political Speech
Published on 28. October 2025
Book
Hardback
176 pages
978-0-300-28229-0 (ISBN)
Description
A renowned political theorist offers a road map to the dark forces that threaten democracy
"Politics is different now because something awful has been unleashed. William A. Galston defines this awful thing in his fantastic new book, Anger, Fear, Domination."-David Brooks, New York Times
Liberalism orients itself around the idea of self-interest tempered by reason, with the addition of civically useful emotions such as patriotism, self-sacrifice, and empathy. But the politics dominating much of the world shows that these ideals are not enough. William A. Galston argues that the defense of liberal democracy requires understanding the dark forces whose impact on political life liberal democratic institutions seek to mute: the emotions of fear, humiliation, anger, resentment, and hatred, and the drive to dominate. In hard or threatening times, it is these dark passions that most reliably persuade people and move them to action-whether voting or violence.
Throughout the democratic world, these institutional defenses are now being tested by a new generation of demagogues. With a keen awareness of the stakes, Galston explains why countering this dangerous development requires not only more responsive public policies but persuasive rhetoric and a realistic conception of political psychology-one that is free of the illusion that reason or affirmative sentiments such as empathy, solidarity, and love can reliably dominate public affairs.
"Politics is different now because something awful has been unleashed. William A. Galston defines this awful thing in his fantastic new book, Anger, Fear, Domination."-David Brooks, New York Times
Liberalism orients itself around the idea of self-interest tempered by reason, with the addition of civically useful emotions such as patriotism, self-sacrifice, and empathy. But the politics dominating much of the world shows that these ideals are not enough. William A. Galston argues that the defense of liberal democracy requires understanding the dark forces whose impact on political life liberal democratic institutions seek to mute: the emotions of fear, humiliation, anger, resentment, and hatred, and the drive to dominate. In hard or threatening times, it is these dark passions that most reliably persuade people and move them to action-whether voting or violence.
Throughout the democratic world, these institutional defenses are now being tested by a new generation of demagogues. With a keen awareness of the stakes, Galston explains why countering this dangerous development requires not only more responsive public policies but persuasive rhetoric and a realistic conception of political psychology-one that is free of the illusion that reason or affirmative sentiments such as empathy, solidarity, and love can reliably dominate public affairs.
Reviews / Votes
"Politics is different now because something awful has been unleashed. William A. Galston defines this awful thing in his fantastic new book, Anger, Fear, Domination."-David Brooks, New York Times"The better speech that Galston advocates for, which can challenge the darkness within us, is desperately needed. But Galston would agree that it needs allies in summoning the higher aspirations that have not vanished from our souls but that have been submerged and deadened in recent times."-Peter Wehner, The Atlantic
"William A. Galston's Anger, Fear, Domination is a masterpiece, full stop."-Jonathan Rauch, The UnPopulist
"[Galston] has been a constant source of creative decency in American politics. His Anger, Fear, Domination is the capstone of a humble and brilliant career. It is a crucial book for this moment and for the future of liberal democracy."-Joe Klein, Sanity Clause, Substack
"Of the many crisis books published over the last decade assessing the malignant political and moral climate degrading liberal democracy, there is nothing like this one. Galston has a rare, capacious mind. This book is a defense of liberal democracy written in a different voice that goes far in explaining us to ourselves."-Nancy L. Rosenblum, Senator Joseph Clark Professor of Ethics in Government and Politics Emerita, Harvard University, and coauthor of Ungoverning: The Attack on the Administrative State and the Politics of Chaos
"Our dark political times require us to understand what Galson calls 'dark political passions': anger, resentment, humiliation, fear, and the urge to dominate. Recalling the insights of classical political thought, this short but profound book explains how these passions can be exploited by demagogues or tamed by liberal statesmen."-R. Shep Melnick, Tip O'Neill Professor of American Politics, Boston College
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Product notice
Cloth over boards
Dimensions
Height: 200 mm
Width: 130 mm
Thickness: 19 mm
Weight
272 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-300-28229-0 (9780300282290)
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Schweitzer Classification
Person
William A. Galston holds the Ezra K. Zilkha Chair in the Brookings Institution's Governance Studies Program, where he serves as a senior fellow. His books include Anti-Pluralism: The Populist Threat to Liberal Democracy. He lives in Bethesda, MD.