A generation ago, humanity witnessed the fall of the Berlin Wall, the disappearance of the Eastern European bloc, and the breakup of the Soviet Union. Many thought that the victory of liberal democracy and competitive enterprise over communism and central planning would usher in a lasting era of peace and prosperity, but now the West appears to be undergoing an existential crisis. Across some of the most successful societies in history, liberal institutions are under attack from the far left and the far right. What brought about this stunning crisis of confidence in Western values and institutions and the ascendency of political and economic populism?

Please join us to hear two leading thinkers and commentators on the rise of free societies explain the reasons for the growth of illiberalism and what, if anything, can be done to reverse that trend.

Cato Policy Forums and luncheons are free of charge.

This forum was made possible through the support of a grant from the John Templeton Foundation.