POLI 227 Lecture Notes - Small Arms, Authoritarianism, Democratic Consolidation
19 Jul 2012
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Document Summary
Revolutions- overthrowing the regime to end up with a democracy (ex. Generally, esp. with bloody, extended and violent revolutions, they do not lead to democracy. The polarization, small arm proliferation, etc. create a revolutionary authoritarianism. There could be a period of chaos, civil war, etc. which increases the risk of having another revolution. Military coups- rarely actually deliver democracy and usually lead to authoritarian regimes. External intervention- it depends on what the population wants in the first place. Incrementalism/internal reform- as opposed to quick change: regime-led (they may miscalculate their power- ex. This happened inmost of western europe: opposition-led, mixed. Internal fragmentations among authoritarian elites- authoritarian regimes that transition to democracy have a conflict between hard-liners and soft-liners. Without this fragmentation, it is much harder to get change. Paradox of political mobilization- on one hand, mass public protests/strikes are useful in pushing reform, but it overdone, it will push the regime into hardline mode and force a crackdown.
