Introduction: Definition of the Problem, Outline of the Argument

In the first part of this introduction, we examine the well-documented suppression of the principles and practice of democracy both domestic and foreign by liberal democracies, in particular the United States. These actions are not the result of the corruption that has marked this form of government from its beginning, but rather the product of conflicts and contradictions intrinsic to its premise, the capitalist mode of production. The paradox of democracy deterring and destroying democracy has been widely recognized, but it has not been examined as a product of its very nature. The second part outlines this paradoxical nature. We provide a brief definition of the key concepts used in this analysis, the focus of which is not democracy corrupted, but the irresolvable contradictions of a political form belonging to an inherently conflicted economic system.