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 analyze this progression on a comparative level. 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.
Author(s): Marco Rimanelli
Year: 2000
Language: English
Pages: 464
Cover......Page 1
Table of Contents......Page 4
Acknowledgments......Page 6
Introduction: Peaceful Democratization Trends in Single-Party-Dominant Countries......Page 8
Part I: Single-Party-Dominant Systems and Western Pluralist Democracies......Page 30
1 Political Immobilism, Clientelism, Collapse, and Democratic Renewal in Italy......Page 32
2 Greece: The Perils of Incorporation......Page 106
3 Democratic Transitions: The Portuguese Case......Page 126
4 Neo-Liberal Renovación, Democratic Transition, and Fragmentation: The Fall of Spain’s Socialist Hegemony......Page 144
5 Political Polarization and Electoral Change in Israel......Page 164
6 Politics, Culture, and Democratic Reform in Japan......Page 182
Part II: Pluralist Democratization in Ex-Marxist Régimes......Page 206
7 The Russian Case: Élite Self-Emancipation......Page 208
8 Out from the Cold: Peaceful Democratization in Hungary, Poland, and the Czech Republic......Page 244
9 Evolution and Demise of One-Party Rule in Nicaragua......Page 266
Part III: Democratization Among Third World Single-Party Systems......Page 296
10 Mexico: Revolution in the Revolution?......Page 298
11 Peaceful Democratic Change in Brazil and Argentina......Page 316
12 The Political Party System of India: From One-Party Dominance to No-Party Dominance......Page 346
13 Local and Provincial Elections in Taiwan: Appraising Steps in Democratization......Page 370
14 South Africa......Page 386
15 The Dilemmas of Democracy in Nigeria......Page 412
Notes on Contributors......Page 448
B......Page 452
C......Page 453
D......Page 454
G......Page 455
L......Page 456
N......Page 457
P......Page 458
R......Page 459
T......Page 460
Z......Page 461
