How democracies get hollowed out

Civics & Economics · Government · ages 15-16

Name ______________________ Date ____________

Which move packs the courts?
- Filling judgeships with loyal picks
- Buying the largest papers
- Banning rallies in one city
Which list holds four warning signs of decline?
- Lost wars, bad harvests, floods, quakes
- A dull press and low turnout once
- Packed courts, rewritten rules, tamed press, squeezed rivals
Hollowing steps often look normal since they wear the law.
Circle one: True False
A leader redraws voting maps to favor allies. Which sign is that?
- A tamed press
- Packed courts
- Rewritten election rules
Why do lawful-looking steps slow resistance?
- Coups are louder and faster
- Courts and voters struggle to fight what looks lawful
- New laws are always just
At which point should resistance have bitten hardest?
- The legal move that made later steps easy
- The last step, since early ones looked mild
- No step at all, since each was lawful
In the sketch country, a freer press at the paper-buying point could have changed the path.
Circle one: True False
A party says lawful wins must never be questioned. What is the flaw?
- Winners deserve full trust always
- Lawful moves can still hollow a system
- Only losers ever study rules

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Filling judgeships with loyal picks · Packing means filling the bench with loyal judges.
Packed courts, rewritten rules, tamed press, squeezed rivals · Those four moves hollow a system from inside.
True · Bills and votes give each step a lawful look.
Rewritten election rules · Redrawn maps rewrite the rules of the contest.
Courts and voters struggle to fight what looks lawful · A lawful look leaves opponents unsure when to act.
The legal move that made later steps easy · Stop the step that unlocks the rest.
True · Each point invites asking what a braver actor might have changed.
Lawful moves can still hollow a system · Lawful form does not prove a healthy system.