In this Eighth Edition of American Democracy in Peril, author William E. Hudson provides a perceptive analysis of the challenges our democracy faces in the current era: economic crisis, partisan gridlock, rising economic inequality, and continued military conflict in the Middle East and elsewhere. By introducing the history of democratic theory in terms of four models of democracy, Hudson provides readers with a set of criteria against which to evaluate the challenges discussed. This provocative book offers a structured, critical examination of the American political system, designed to stimulate students to consider how the facts they learn about American politics relate to democratic ideals.