DEMOCRATIZATION
Presentation Outline
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Review of characteristics of authoritarian and democratic
regimes
Procedural Democracy
Substantive Democracy
Preconditions for democratization
3 historical waves of democratization
Top down democratization
Bottom up democratization
Global trends in democratization
1) What differentiates democratic
regimes from authoritarian regimes?
Authoritarian
Regimes
Democratic
regimes
•One party is in charge
•No elections or elections
are “window dressing”
•Restrictions on civil
society
•Rule by law
•Two parties or more
compete in elections
•Civil society is vibrant
and encouraged
•Rule of law
2) Procedural Democracy
 Democracies which appear democratic: (competitive elections,
universal suffrage)
 Often called ‘illiberal democracies’
Democratic deficits:
 But civil liberties and rights are usually restricted
 Often the media access for opposition parties is restricted
 Political opponents may be imprisoned without a fair trial
 Russia and Nigeria are good examples
What’s the difference between a
procedural democracy and an
authoritarian regime?
 A procedural or ‘illiberal democracy’ is still a democracy “on
paper.”
 Procedural democracies have the potential to become ‘liberal
democracies’
 Authoritarian regimes are structurally undemocratic
 The only way an authoritarian regime to become democratic
is for regime change to take place: often through revolution
3) Substantive Democracy
 These are democracies which have competitive, fair elections and
full civil liberties and rights
 The rule of law is respected
 Democracy has consolidated meaning elites and citizens
accept the ‘rules of democracy’
 Often called liberal democracies
 The U.K., U.S., Canada, and Japan are good examples
 Mexico is working to become a substantive democracy
4) Preconditions for
democratization
 The presence of a robust civil society
 Consolidation- elites and citizens respect the ‘rules of the
game’- respect for the rule of law
 Strong and stable economy
 A democratic environment- international support,
regional support for democracy
It’s hard to be a democracy when all your
neighbors are authoritarian!
5) 3 Waves of Democratization
1780
1900
1945
1989 2000-present
1st wave of democratization
1st wave began in the 18th and 19th
centuries in industrialized Western
states such as Britain, the United States
and France
Democracy occurred here first because
the existing preconditions were there:
wealthy, stable economy, educated
population, citizen demand for greater
influence
U.S. Constitution1789
“We the People”
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are
created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with
certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty
and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights,
Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just
powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever
any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends,
it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to
institute new Government, laying its foundation on such
principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them
shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”
THOMAS JEFFERSON, Declaration of Independence
2nd wave of democratization
 Occurred after World War II in Europe and in decolonized
Asia and Africa
 U.S. occupation of Germany and Japan introduced
(imposed?) democracy
 Germany, Japan, Italy, Malaysia, Singapore, Kenya, Nigeria
and later South Korea, and India are examples
3rd wave of democratization
 Occurred after the collapse of the East Bloc and Soviet Union
in the 1989-1991 period
 This included Russia, Poland, Ukraine, Croatia, Serbia, and
Mongolia
End of
Communism
in Romania. A
man stands
on top of a
statue of
Soviet leader
Vladimir
Lenin, 1989
6) Top down democratization
 Democracy is imposed by leaders and policies
 Russia is a great example- Gorbachev introduced democratic
reforms;Yeltsin continued and went even further
 Foreign occupation can also impose democracy as was the
case after WWII in U.S. occupied Germany and Japan
 Foreign influence and pressure can introduce democracy- S.
Korea went from a military dictatorship to a democracy
Democratization in Russia: top downYeltsin proclaims democratic reforms
7) Bottom up democratization
 When the citizens demand democracy- either through
reforms or revolution
 Grass roots
 1989 Tiananmen Square student demonstrations were a good
example- but one which failed
 Poland’s solidarity movement in the early 1980s led to a call
for more democracy
 The East Germans essentially overthrew their regime in a
bloodless revolution- protesting a lack of freedoms
1989 East Germany-Berlin Wall
Bottom-up democratization
8) Democratization as a world
trend
 Most of the states in the world are now democracies, although
many are procedural democracies
 In 1945 only 10% of the world’s states were democracies
 The worldwide trend since the end of WWII has led to more
democratization
 Even authoritarian states such as Iran and China have introduced
some democratic elements such as competitive elections in Iran,
and village elections in China
Map of the world’s democracies (in
blue)
Levels of Democratization.
Light colors represent the most democratic states.
Dark colors represent the most authoritarian states.
Throughout the 80s and 90s many regimes
changed and became democraciesespecially in S. America