Factors Affecting Democratization

This term period witnessed the devote of over 30 prideful regimes in Europe, Asia, and Latin America which thence made the passageway to republic and were characterized importantly by one society systems. Nations that change the translation to a participatory form of political sympathies commonly display three particular characteristics a mettlesome level of stinting emergence, a super amend public, and a capacious midway pattern.The endorse table, below Huntington, provides the literacy prises, Gaps, and living expectancies of volt imaginary countries. Of these tailfin countries, D and E be the well-nigh possible to elective and hey be also the to the highest degree(prenominal) app arnt to consolidate democracy because they possess the three main characteristics of egalitarian countries. Huntington provides a chart, on page 62 of his work, In which countries are classify according to their GNP In 1 976 In relation to the display case of governmen t they possessed in 1974.It also shows whether the countries parliamentary or liberalized surrounded by 1974 and 1989, or whether they maintained their non- participatory regimes through break through those years. The chart below Huntington provides the literacy rate, GAP per capita, and lifespantime foreboding of five imaginary countries. The characteristics provided on the back graph are critical to understanding severally Individual surface area po ten-spottial towards change state democracies and their ability to consolidate democracy.The first characteristic of the chart is the literacy rate of the five countries, which is an excellent indicator of the overall level of education the countries. A highly educated public is a crucial factor in the pitch contour to democracy, and political scientist Mitchell Gilson argued that in Latin America the thresholds that made democracy viable were both a GNP of $250 and a literacy rate of over l percent. This demonstrates that a countries literacy rate Is al about as Important as the level of sparing development of a body politic In demagnification.Between 1960 and 1981 many more people began attending secondary schools to improve their educations. It has been proven that highly educated people tend to develop the characteristics of trust, satisfaction, and competence which form the civic ethnical attitudes necessary in a democracy (Huntington, 69). Without an educated public, it is truly serious for democracies to survive. Thus, a high literacy rate provides evidence of a highly cattle puddle, wanly Is also positively oscillate Witt democracy.In Alton, a high literacy rate also provides evidence that a particular nation possesses a man-sized shopping centre class, which is often a product of industrialization and economic growth. The heraldic bearing of a large midway class is another(prenominal) one of the most important factors of demagnification. Due to the fact that democracies often rely on a system of majority rule, a middle class is necessary in order to accurately re insert the wishes of the populace. In addition, it is the middle class which strives to earn their objectives.In virtually every coun filter the most active supporters of demagnification came from the urban middle class,l and it was this group which led the third wave movements for demagnification. For example, in the Philippines, the middle class, comprised of professionals and note people, encouraged and actively participated in the demonstrations in 1984 against the oppressive regime of Ferdinand Marcos. It is exonerate that When tear gas meets the middle class Tear gas loses. 2 A large middle class is crucial in the transition to democracy because they are the people who lead the demonstrations, rallies, and protests calling for an end o authoritarian regimes and the transition to a democratic form of government. The literacy rates of the five countries insinuate that countries A and C most in all probability mother a very small middle class and only a small fortune of the overall population is highly educated, country Bis literacy rate was unavailable, and that countries D and E have both a highly educated population and a large middle class.The second characteristic of the chart is the GAP per capita of the five countries. The gross domestic product (GAP), the gross national product damaging the net income earned abroad, tells us the economic development and status of each particular nation. A high GAP per capita is found in plastered, economically advanced countries such as Switzerland which has a per capita income of $21 ,330. Conversely, a reduce GAP is found in miserableer countries such as Ethiopia with a per capita income of $cxxx (Huntington, 60).Undoubtedly, there exists a positive relationship between economic development and demagnification. Huntington claims that the nations most plausibly to undergo a transition to democracy are those characterize d as middle- income countries. The correlation between wealth and democracy implies that transitions to democracy should continue primarily in countries at the middle levels of economic development. In poor countries demagnification is unlikely in rich countries it has already occurred. 3 Thus the GAP per capita of country D shows that it is the only country out of the five which is in the middle income bleed which Huntington claims possesses the most potential to key out the transition to democracy, while countries A, B, C, and E are in the lower income strand and less likely to make the transition to democracy. The third characteristic on the chart is the life expectancy, which is another important factor because it helps determine the level of technology of a nation.Countries with high life expectancies are more technologically advanced than those with lower life expectancies due to above average health care systems, medications and vaccines, and competent doctors. some wea lthy countries tend to have higher levels of technology than poorer countries, and most wealthy countries are democracies. Most wealthy countries are democratic and most democratic countries India is the most dramatic exception are wealthy. 4 As such, a higher life expectancy is also associated with democracy. Entrees A, c, Ana nave ten tenure lowest draw and quarter expectancies wanly demonstrates Tanat they are the to the lowest degree technologically advanced. Country D has the second highest life expectancy, but based on life expectancy alone, country B would be the most technologically advanced of all the countries because it has the highest life The literacy rate, GAP, and life expectancy are three vital statistics in expectancy. Formulating a hypothesis as to the level of education, level of economic development, and level of technology that a country possesses and help in determining the type of government of a particular country.From these characteristics it is possible to infer that the countries least likely to democratic would be countries A and C, country B has somewhat a materialise of demonstrating, depending on its literacy rate, and countries D and E would be the most likely to democratic. Countries A and C have the lowest literacy rates, Gaps, and life expectancies of the entire group and as such lack the high level of economic development, highly educated public, and large middle class which are almost always present in countries making the transition to democracy.The lack of an educated population and large middle class shows that it loud be extremely difficult to dedicate a democracy in these nations because the people, for the most part, would be unable to participate or take an active role in their governments. Country B would most likely remain whatever government, most likely authoritarian, that it soon was because of its decent GAP and because it has the highest life expectancy of the group.The high life expectancy suggests tha t the people are living relatively well, and as such, they would most likely not attempt to undermine their current regime. However, country E would most likely emaciation, and country D is the most likely to democratic out of the entire group. The reason that countries E and D are the most likely to democratic is because they possess the highest literacy rates (68 % and 78 % respectively), highest Gaps per capita ($700 and $1600), and good life expectancies (46 and 48 years).Both countries possess the characteristics common to democracies high levels of economic development, a highly educated public, and a large middle class which is why they are the countries which would undergo the transition from a non democratic form of government to a democratic form of government. Country D is the most probable, out of the five countries, to democratic because it is precisely in the middle income range which Huntington believes leads to the demagnification of a nation.He proves his assertion in his chart which shows that the highest percentage of countries to democratic or liberalize between 1974 and 1989 did in fact occur in countries with per capita GNP in the $1000 $3000 range (the middle income range). In fact, 76 percent of countries in the middle income range democratic or liberalized, while poorer nations with per capita GNP of $250-$1000 such as countries A, B, C, and E) experienced only a 29 percent transition rate.Therefore, countries A and C are the least likely to democratic, B is somewhat likely to democratic, and E and D have the highest probability of demonstrating. Furthermore, supposing that all five nations have experienced a transition to democracy and have established a democratic regime, countries A, B, and C would be the least likely to consolidate democracy while countries E and D would be the most likely to consolidate their newly emerged democratic regimes. Political scientistAdam Paperworks claimed that Democracy is consolidated when under di sposed political Ana economic contraltos a particular system AT Institutions Decodes ten only game in town, when no one can call back acting outside the democratic institutions, when all losers want to do is to try again within the same institutions under which they have Just lost. 5 It could be argued that countries A, B, and C have such low literacy rates, and Gaps that their situation could only bum about better however, they do not have the resources (both economically and population-wise) to maintain or strengthen their new found democracies.Out of the five nations, countries E and D are the most economically developed which means they are the least likely to experience an economic crisis which could potentially undermine their regimes. The fact that they are the least likely to experience an economic crisis is extremely important, because economic crises were one of the main reasons that countries converted from non-democratic governments to democratic forms of government in the third wave of demagnification. In the third wave, the combination of substantial levels of economic development and short-term economic rises or failure was the economic formula most favorable to the transition from authoritarian to democratic government. 6 Country E and Ads educated middle class will actively work to maintain, improve, and strengthen the democratic system which gives them their freedoms and opportunities.Those deuce countries have the most potential and the most resources available at their garbage disposal to maintain and strengthen their democracies. Therefore, due to their superior economic development, abundant resources, and the introduction of an educated, middle class, countries E and D are by far the most likely to consolidate democracy. The third wave of demagnification witnessed the transition of over 30 countries to democratic forms of government, predominantly due to the economies of those countries.The countries most likely to establish a democr atic regime are those which display a high level of economic development, a highly educated public, and a large middle class. These factors are crucial to demagnification. Countries A, B, and C are the least likely to democratic and consolidate demagnification because of their low literacy rates and lack of abundant resources. As time progresses and their literacy rates and Gaps increase, they may eventually enter the middle income range which is so conducive to democracy.