POLI 319 Lecture Notes - Lecture 13: Francis Fukuyama, Michelle Bachelet, Mothers Of The Plaza De Mayo
13 May 2018
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POLI319: Wednesday March 21st, 2018
Critique of Democratization Theory
- Do all democratizing countries go through an opting
- Early democratization emerged form modernization and recommended economic development
precede democratization then the democratic transition arrived with the onset of many
democratic transitions throughout the end of the Cold War
- Emergence of things like education and economic development are better understood as a result
of democratization and not a prerequisite
- As democracy has become increasingly compromised in LA and other parts of the world, failed
to consolidate their democracy further
- Literature democratic transition reconsidered the question of whether it is given that countries
go through breakthrough and then consolidation (many countries go through breakthrough and
remain stuck before consolidation)
- Came to regard democratization as a natural human process (End of History, Francis
Fukuyama) according to Fukuyama because democracy was so universally desirable we have as
a human civilization achieved that end point where we knew what kind of political system
worked best and it was just a matter of everyone catching up to already democratic countries and
implementing these processes economically and politically
- Important to account for political scientists argued that democratization is the natural end point
of human history (developed countries would get there just waiting for them to catch up to
advanced countries)
- His thesis has been discredited, crazy how political scientists reinvent themselves
End of the Transition Paradigm
- countries on their way to become full democracies that they might not ever get there, there is no
guarantee of that
- No reason that since they started democratization they will finish it
- The Grey Zone of Democratization – many countries will be stuck in a grey zone, not fully
democratic, not fully authoritarian is not necessarily in transit en route to democratization may
be the destination
- We must adjust our views of democratization
- As scholars, must come to grips with reality, that democracy is not necessarily spreading or
deepening in countries that have started to move in that direction
Conclusions
- Democratic transitions may not be linear and are often very slow (think in terms of decades)
- “Gray zone” countries may not be in transition but in a category of their own, gray zone may be
a place where countries go to stay
- Elections may not deepen democratic participation and accountability, elections are not
sufficient for democracy
Positive signs for Democracy in Latin America
- Natural to understand democratization at an elite level important to appreciate that democracy
is not only for the elites it is for the masses by definition
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Do all democratizing countries go through an opting. Early democratization emerged form modernization and recommended economic development precede democratization then the democratic transition arrived with the onset of many democratic transitions throughout the end of the cold war. Emergence of things like education and economic development are better understood as a result of democratization and not a prerequisite. As democracy has become increasingly compromised in la and other parts of the world, failed to consolidate their democracy further. Literature democratic transition reconsidered the question of whether it is given that countries go through breakthrough and then consolidation (many countries go through breakthrough and remain stuck before consolidation) Came to regard democratization as a natural human process (end of history, francis. Important to account for political scientists argued that democratization is the natural end point of human history (developed countries would get there just waiting for them to catch up to advanced countries)
