Transitions from Authoritarian Rule: Comparative Perspectives

by Guillermo A. O'Donnell (Editor), Philippe C. Schmitter (Editor), Laurence Whitehead (Editor)

An array of internationally noted scholars examines the process of democratization in Southern Europe and Latin America. The authors provide new interpretations of both current and historical efforts of nations to end periods of authoritarian rule and to initiate transition to democracy, efforts that have met with widely varying degrees of success and failure. Extensive case studies of individual countries, a comparative overview, and a synthesis conclusions offer important insights for political scientists, students, and all concerned with the prospects for democracy. In Volume 3, despite the unique contexts of transitions in individual countries, significant points of comparison emerge — such as the influence of foreign nations and the role of agents outside the government. These analyses explore both intra- and interregional similarities and differences.

Genres: Nonfiction

208 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1986

Reviews

[Ta]

As such a difficult topic requests, a lot of the articles were rather cautious in proposing far reaching solutions or to boldly propose unexpected theses. Each scholar writes about their own preferred topic, cautiously examining the issue, studiously noting the limits of possible extrapolation and mitigating factors.

As such there are interesting ideas, a lot of good research, however, such limited scope did not leave me entirely satisfied. It is what it is, I suppose.