Taking up in the essential question of how societies develop strong, impersonal, and accountable political institution, Fukuyama follows the story from the Industrial Revolution to the so-called Arab Spring and the deep dysfunctions of contemporary American politics. He examines the effects of corruption on governance and considers why only some societies have been successful at rooting it out. He explores the different legacies of colonialism in Latin America, Africa, and Asia, and offers a clear-eyed account of why certain regions have thrived and developed more quickly than others. And he boldy reckons with the future of democracy in the face of a rising global middle class and entrenched political paralysis in the West.