This book explores the new types of political organization that emerged in (western) Europe and the United States during the nineteenth century, from popular meetings to single-issue organizations and political parties. The development of these has often been used to demonstrate a move towards democratic representation or political institutionalization. This book challenges the idea that the development of ?democracy? is a story of rise and progress at all. It argues that it is rather a story of continuous but never completely satisfying attempts of interpreting the rule of the people.