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Quodemos
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One question, 58 answers

Quo,
demos?

Where are you going, democracy?

The answer is not settled. It depends on who reads the signs. 58 short episodes show how democracies fell and where they held.

The Kroll Opera House in Berlin, drawn for the episode “23 March 1933” Grete
How an episode works

Be there, not lectured.

  1. You are there. A character takes you to Berlin in 1933, Madrid in 1981 or Seoul in 2024. Recreated scenes are labelled as such. App: a character takes you along
  2. You tap what happens next. Before anything is decided, you guess. No points, no grades. Guessing first makes it stick. App: a question before the decision
  3. You check the source. Minutes, rulings, newspapers, research. Original quotes are there word for word. App: the source below the card
  4. You see what holds. Every episode ends with a warning sign and the question of who stopped it. App: what held

Three pillars. Three answers to the same question.

Fallen

There, if no one objects.

Germany 1933, Italy 1919 to 1926, Russia, Hungary. Plus three present-day paths: Türkiye, Venezuela, India.

Pillar Fallen

Myths

Where the comfortable lines point.

“The majority is always right.” Mila checks lines like that without shaming the people who say them.

Pillar Myths

Held

Where people say no in time.

Finland 1932, Watergate 1974, Madrid 1981, Portugal 1974, Seoul 1987, Leipzig 1989.

Pillar Held

13 Warning signs that keep coming back.

Mechanisms, not parties. Berlin 1933 is not Budapest 2017, but some steps return. Every sign has its own short episode.

  1. Opponents are declared enemies
  2. Violence is tolerated or rewarded
  3. The crisis justifies exceptions
  4. The referees are replaced
  5. Media are bought or shut down
  6. The rules of the game are rewritten
  7. The elites think they can tame him
  8. Rivals end up in prison or exile
  9. Civil society becomes an “agent”
  10. Everyday life is brought into line
  11. The majority stays silent
  12. An outside enemy closes the ranks
  13. Defeats are not accepted

It can be stopped.

The most important experience in Quodemos is not a warning. It is this: who did what, and when, so that it did not tip over?

Seoul · December 2024A parliament that shows upAt 1 a.m., all 190 lawmakers in the chamber vote to lift martial law, 18 of them from the president’s own party.Korea Times, 4 December 2024
Washington · July 1974Gatekeepers from his own campOn the Judiciary Committee, six Republicans vote for the first article of impeachment against their own president.Episode “No one is above the law”
Finland · March 1932A voice on the radioThe president speaks on the radio to the rebels of Mäntsälä, an estimated 200,000 people listen. Afterwards the first groups withdraw.Yle Elävä arkisto
Poland · October 2023Voting when it countsThe highest turnout since 1989. It rises most among 18 to 29 year olds.Episode “Who picks the judges”
ResearchNonviolence has better oddsAbout 51 percent of nonviolent campaigns succeeded, compared with about 26 percent of armed ones. A better chance, not a guarantee.Chenoweth/Stephan 2011
ResearchTurnarounds are commonAbout 70 percent of the episodes of decline in today’s wave were reversed, often at the very next election.V-Dem, Nord et al. 2025
App: warning signs App: a source below every card

Every card with its source.

V-Dem and BTI, court rulings, parliamentary minutes, law gazettes and research. The source is on the card. Original quotes are there word for word, recreated scenes are marked as recreated.

Source: Korea Times, 4 December 2024
The name

Quo + demos

Quo vadis? means “Where are you going?”. Demos is the people that democracy is named after. Together: the question every generation has to answer anew.

Frequently asked.

Who is behind it?

Teachlume develops and funds Quodemos. Momentlume is the app brand.

Why is it free?

Because the topic belongs to everyone. No payment system, no ads.

Why no party names?

Quodemos shows mechanisms. Once you know the steps, you can judge for yourself.

What happens to my data?

No account, no tracking cookies, no profiles. Your progress stays on your device.

Where to next is partly up to you.

Start the first episode quodemos.app · 14+ · English and German
Mila Emil