Bryn Rosenfeld on Middle Class Support for Dictators in Autocratic Regimes

A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Barrington Moore famously claimed, “No bourgeoisie. No democracy.” Many scholars before and after Moore have argued the middle class is necessary for successful democratization. But Moore had a specific image of the middle class. The bourgeoisie were not simply white-collar professionals. They were entrepreneurs who were independent of the landed aristocracy.Bryn Rosenfeld recognizes a new source for the growth of the middle class. Ma...