Religious Exclusion and the Origins of Democracy

Abstract: The ongoing debate about democracy and diversity has been fruitful and thought-provoking but inconclusive because most scholars do not distinguish between ethnic, linguistic, racial, and religious diversity. The most challenging type of diversity for democracy past and present has been religious diversity. The first and the longest-lasting parliaments appeared in Western Europe with the eradication of all Jews and Muslims. The experience of England and France illustrate how religious homogeneity was related to the origins and the consolidation of the first parliaments. Conversely, religious diversity contributed to the collapse of the parliamentary regimes in Russia and the Ottoman Empire.