Maxim Kantor, author of the famous “Drawing Textbook,” in his new book analyzes the evolution of the concept of “democracy” and the historical ideals associated with this concept. Current topics: the idea of empire, the strategy of the artistic avant-garde, the goals of the Second World War, human rights and totalitarianism, the tactics of collaboration, Peter’s reforms and the market economy - the author examines it within the general evolution of a democratic society. Maxim Kantor introduces the concepts of “democratic war”, “comprador intelligentsia”, “ capitalist realism”, “civilization of hamsters”, and calls our path to market democracy “three steps in delirium”. The book is artistic and scientific, funny and scary - like our life itself.