What Conditions Promote Democratisation?
Democracy is the form of government that allows citizens to elect their representatives and to hold those representatives accountable. It also enables citizens to voice their views on political issues and debate them with one another, and it creates the opportunity for people to challenge established authority in order to change the status quo. In most cases, democracy is seen as the highest ideal for society. However, there are many differing opinions regarding what constitutes democracy and how democratic processes should function. There is a great deal of disagreement about what conditions promote Democratisation, and there is no consensus as to whether some of these are more important than others. Nevertheless, most scholars agree that a few conditions are essential in order to have a good chance of establishing successful democracy. These include a reasonable degree of economic development, education, and the existence of a democratic political culture.
While it is difficult to define exactly what a democratic political culture contains, there is broad agreement that it includes a tolerance for diversity, a belief in the basic trustworthiness of other citizens, and a willingness to compromise and cooperate. It is thought that these values are necessary for democracy to succeed, as is a sense of responsibility to contribute to society in ways that are consistent with democracy. In addition, most scholars agree that democracy is more likely to be successful if the citizens are well-educated and have access to information about politics.
The development of democracy can be viewed as taking place in waves, with the first wave beginning in 1830 when Britain extended its franchise to women and the second wave starting in 1945 with the dissolution of the axis powers in Europe and the decolonization of the rest of the world. Some of these countries, such as Japan and Germany in the immediate post-World War II period, were able to successfully transition to democracy, while others, such as Indonesia, South Korea, and Taiwan have had to struggle to sustain their democracies.
Some scholars believe that to be legitimate, democratic governance requires the support of citizens and that this can only come from economic development. They point out that democratic governments have a better chance of developing when the economy is growing, and they are more likely to retain popular support if they deliver good results for their citizens. They argue that if a democratic system loses popular support, it will quickly fall into disrepute and could even collapse.
There is a third view that argues that democracy should be introduced slowly, as it is a complex process and will require time to develop. It should be introduced only when the conditions are right and it should be accompanied by a program of reforms to build democratic institutions and practices. This is a controversial idea, and there are concerns that democracy may not be possible in some countries, especially those with a history of violent conflict. In such cases, the democratic transition may be replaced by some form of authoritarian rule.
Democracy is the form of government that allows citizens to elect their representatives and to hold those representatives accountable. It also enables citizens to voice their views on political issues and debate them with one another, and it creates the opportunity for people to challenge established authority in order to change the status quo. In most cases, democracy is seen as the highest ideal for society. However, there are many differing opinions regarding what constitutes democracy and how democratic processes should function. There is a great deal of disagreement about what conditions promote Democratisation, and there is no consensus as to whether some of these are more important than others. Nevertheless, most scholars agree that a few conditions are essential in order to have a good chance of establishing successful democracy. These include a reasonable degree of economic development, education, and the existence of a democratic political culture. While it is difficult to define exactly what a democratic political culture contains, there is broad agreement that it includes a tolerance for diversity, a belief in the basic trustworthiness of other citizens, and a willingness to compromise and cooperate. It is thought that these values are necessary for democracy to succeed, as is a sense of responsibility to contribute to society in ways that are consistent with democracy. In addition, most scholars agree that democracy is more likely to be successful if the citizens are well-educated and have access to information about politics. The development of democracy can be viewed as taking place in waves, with the first wave beginning in 1830 when Britain extended its franchise to women and the second wave starting in 1945 with the dissolution of the axis powers in Europe and the decolonization of the rest of the world. Some of these countries, such as Japan and Germany in the immediate post-World War II period, were able to successfully transition to democracy, while others, such as Indonesia, South Korea, and Taiwan have had to struggle to sustain their democracies. Some scholars believe that to be legitimate, democratic governance requires the support of citizens and that this can only come from economic development. They point out that democratic governments have a better chance of developing when the economy is growing, and they are more likely to retain popular support if they deliver good results for their citizens. They argue that if a democratic system loses popular support, it will quickly fall into disrepute and could even collapse. There is a third view that argues that democracy should be introduced slowly, as it is a complex process and will require time to develop. It should be introduced only when the conditions are right and it should be accompanied by a program of reforms to build democratic institutions and practices. This is a controversial idea, and there are concerns that democracy may not be possible in some countries, especially those with a history of violent conflict. In such cases, the democratic transition may be replaced by some form of authoritarian rule.