Comparative Analysis of Democratization prof Fulvio Venturino Comparative

Comparative Analysis of Democratization prof. Fulvio Venturino Comparative Politics Principles of Democracy and Democratization Chapter 2: Democracy and Democratization in Historical Perspective

The key question • Why did some states become democratic as they entered the twentieth century whereas others did not? • The answer involves an examination of England, the United States, France, Germany, Russia and Japan

Major explanations deal with the pre-industrial transformations 1. Those that focus on social explanations, largely based on class analysis 2. Those that concentrate on political transformations prior to industrialization 3. Those that focus on the importance of culture and national identity

Streams of research 1 • Barrington Moore: to what extent had the old social order been swept away prior to the coming of industrialization? • Relevant comparison: England vs. Russia

Streams of research 2 • Reinhard Bendix: to what extent had accountability and rule of law been established prior to the coming of industrialization? • Relevant comparison: the United States vs. Japan

Streams of research 3 • Charles Tilly: to what extent had a mass national identity been established prior to the Industrial Revolution? • Relevant comparison: France vs. Germany

Comparison of six cases on three dimensions of pre-industrial transformation

Keep on with caution … • The historical approach is largely based on the experience of a limited number of Western cases, and hence may not adequately explain developmental processes elsewhere • The macro historical processes represent constraints in which choices can be made, regarding rules, procedures and other arrangements that may promote or detract from the development of political democracy