ABSTRACT
The Hindrances to Good Citizenship is a brilliant analysis of the democratic dilemma: the more power becomes diffused throughout the citizenry, the less individuals are likely to take responsibility for the governance and well-being of the polity. The Hindrances to Good Citizenship is a classic of late nineteenth-century liberal social analysis, undergoing eight printings from 1909 to 1931, a clear indication of its popularity and value beyond its author's own lifetime. This chapter argues that Bryce's life and his place in the history remain significant to the social sciences. "A chief duty of the good citizen is to be angry when anger is called for", said Bryce, lamenting the decline of righteous indignation, a decline which signaled a deterioration in the standard of civic virtue. Bryce saw as underlying the chief hindrances to good citizenship, could easily lead to despotism.
