Seva Gunitsky
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- January 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780691172330
- eISBN:
- 9781400885329
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691172330.003.0002
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
This chapter examines the causes of failed consolidation embedded in democratic waves. The first half outlines the four recurring mechanisms that create counterwaves—shifting hegemonic pressures, ...
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This chapter examines the causes of failed consolidation embedded in democratic waves. The first half outlines the four recurring mechanisms that create counterwaves—shifting hegemonic pressures, collapsing ad hoc coalitions, autocratic adaptation, and bounded rationality. The second half examines the book's arguments in light of some alternatives, particularly domestic explanations and theories of diffusion. It argues that these failures happen because the same systemic pressures that create powerful bursts of regime change also spread to countries that are unlikely to sustain any reforms once the shock passes. The chapter therefore combines two large but rarely intersecting literatures—on democratic waves and on democratic reversals—into a single explanatory framework.Less
This chapter examines the causes of failed consolidation embedded in democratic waves. The first half outlines the four recurring mechanisms that create counterwaves—shifting hegemonic pressures, collapsing ad hoc coalitions, autocratic adaptation, and bounded rationality. The second half examines the book's arguments in light of some alternatives, particularly domestic explanations and theories of diffusion. It argues that these failures happen because the same systemic pressures that create powerful bursts of regime change also spread to countries that are unlikely to sustain any reforms once the shock passes. The chapter therefore combines two large but rarely intersecting literatures—on democratic waves and on democratic reversals—into a single explanatory framework.
Seva Gunitsky
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- January 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780691172330
- eISBN:
- 9781400885329
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691172330.003.0006
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
This chapter examines the democratic wave that accompanied the dissolution of the Soviet system, its consequences for democratic legitimacy, and its ambiguous long-term effect on modern hybrid ...
More
This chapter examines the democratic wave that accompanied the dissolution of the Soviet system, its consequences for democratic legitimacy, and its ambiguous long-term effect on modern hybrid regime. The Soviet collapse ended the replacement of territorial empires with nation-states, and the decisive victory of democracy over a series of rival regimes. In three hegemonic shocks, democracy emerged victorious over monarchy, fascism, and communism, experiencing only one major setback during the interwar years. The Soviet case demonstrates that even the salience of nonhegemonic external factors in shaping domestic regimes is itself shaped by hegemonic transformations. However, the post-Soviet victory of democracy was far from complete. It missed certain regions entirely, and where it left a mark the result was often partial and tentative.Less
This chapter examines the democratic wave that accompanied the dissolution of the Soviet system, its consequences for democratic legitimacy, and its ambiguous long-term effect on modern hybrid regime. The Soviet collapse ended the replacement of territorial empires with nation-states, and the decisive victory of democracy over a series of rival regimes. In three hegemonic shocks, democracy emerged victorious over monarchy, fascism, and communism, experiencing only one major setback during the interwar years. The Soviet case demonstrates that even the salience of nonhegemonic external factors in shaping domestic regimes is itself shaped by hegemonic transformations. However, the post-Soviet victory of democracy was far from complete. It missed certain regions entirely, and where it left a mark the result was often partial and tentative.
