Comparative Democratization and Peaceful Change in Single-Party-Dominant Countries

One of the more positive international trends as of late has been the transformation of several countries from authoritarian-based dictatorships and single party systems into multi-party democracies characterized by peaceful political transitions. In this volume, a group of experts are gathered to analyse this progression on a comparative level. The scholars examine previously right-wing regimes in Brazil, Argentina, and South Africa, former Communist states in Russia, Poland, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia, and single party-dominant democracies in Italy, Japan, Mexico, and Israel. The essays reveal how the dramatic collapse of the USSR functioned as a crucial catalyst in allowing pent-up domestic pressures for change to emerge in a less charged international environment. In addition, the chapters study the historical and current evolution of these countries, focusing on their success in developing long-term pluralistic structures, and gauging whether these recent trends are more overnight fads than long lasting advancements.

Autorentext

MARCO RIMANELLI is Associate Professor of European and Security Studies at Saint Leo College in Florida. He is the editor of the Political Chronicle journal.

Inhalt
Introduction; M.Rimanelli Corruption, Collapse and Democratic Renewal in Italy; M.Rimanelli Spain's Democratic Transition; A.Celso Political Transformation and Biparty Alternance in Israel and Palestinian Territories; J.McTague Politics, Culture and the Ambiguity of Democratic Change in Japan; J.Horgan From the Carnations' Revolution to Democratic Stability in Portugal; A.Cuzàn After Democracy What? The Failure of Democratic Change in Nicaragua; H.Vanden The Dilemmas of Democracy in Nigeria; F.U.Ohaegbulam Walking the Tightrope: The Perils of Democratic Alternance in Greece; P.Rigos & J.Alton Elections and Political Change in Taiwan; J.Robinson Peaceful Democratic Change in Brazil and Argentina: A Comparison; F.Mazzella Democratization in Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary; B.Kernen Political Change and Crisis in India; R.Kator Democratization and Peaceful Transition to Majority Rule in Mandela's South Africa; C.Arnade Presidential Elections and the Pitfalls of Democratization in 1990s Russia; R.Barylski Democratization, Change and Women's Issues in Mexico and Yucatan; K.Logan Perot, Powell, Buchanan and the Dream of Third Party Politics in America; B.Swanson Conclusion: The Impact of Peaceful Change and Democratic Pluralism in ex-Single Party Systems; M.Rimanelli Index