Comparative Democratization and Peaceful Change in Single-Party-Dominant Countries

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 analyse this progression on a comparative level. The scholars examine previously right-wing regimes in Brazil, Argentina, and South Africa, former Communist states in Russia, Poland, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia, and single party-dominant democracies in Italy, Japan, Mexico, and Israel. 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.

Introduction; M.Rimanelli Corruption, Collapse and Democratic Renewal in Italy; M.Rimanelli Spain's Democratic Transition; A.Celso Political Transformation and Biparty Alternance in Israel and Palestinian Territories; J.McTague Politics, Culture and the Ambiguity of Democratic Change in Japan; J.Horgan From the Carnations' Revolution to Democratic Stability in Portugal; A.Cuzàn After Democracy What? The Failure of Democratic Change in Nicaragua; H.Vanden The Dilemmas of Democracy in Nigeria; F.U.Ohaegbulam Walking the Tightrope: The Perils of Democratic Alternance in Greece; P.Rigos & J.Alton Elections and Political Change in Taiwan; J.Robinson Peaceful Democratic Change in Brazil and Argentina: A Comparison; F.Mazzella Democratization in Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary; B.Kernen Political Change and Crisis in India; R.Kator Democratization and Peaceful Transition to Majority Rule in Mandela's South Africa; C.Arnade Presidential Elections and the Pitfalls of Democratization in 1990s Russia; R.Barylski Democratization, Change and Women's Issues in Mexico and Yucatan; K.Logan Perot, Powell, Buchanan and the Dream of Third Party Politics in America; B.Swanson Conclusion: The Impact of Peaceful Change and Democratic Pluralism in ex-Single Party Systems; M.Rimanelli Index