Democracy in America: A Horror Story or a Model to Emulate?

In 2025, the bicentennial of organized migration from Norway to the United States will be commemorated. This book explores how Norwegian migrants and observers viewed the political system they encountered in America, and how their experiences with American democracy influenced the development of political and social life in Norway. Through letters and reports, migrants—and visitors—shared their impressions of religious freedom, local democracy, property rights, women’s rights, the labor movement, and a number of other topics, inspiring initiatives and debates in Norway. But the encounter with the United States was also an encounter with the darker aspects of American society, such as slavery, the oppression of Native Americans, racism, corruption, and unbridled capitalism. In their book, “Democracy in America—A ​​Horrible Example or a Model to Emulate?”, the authors examine Norwegian perceptions of the United States over 200 years, from early immigrant accounts and portrayals of the struggle between labor and capital, to inspiration from strong professional women and admiration for the American rearmament against Hitler, and finally to opposition to American politics and cultural imperialism in the decades following World War II. American democracy may appear as a model to emulate, but it can also be seen as a model to fear and be wary of.