The birth of democracy in South America / Raúl L. Madrid.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Madrid, Raúl L., Author.

Series:

Cambridge studies in comparative politics.

Cambridge studies in comparative politics

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Democracy--South America.

Democracy.

South America--Politics and government.

South America.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xvii, 362 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge ; New York, NY : Cambridge University Press, 2025.

Summary:

South America contains some of the oldest democracies in the world, yet we still know relatively little about how and why democracy arose in the region. Raúl L. Madrid argues that three main developments - the professionalization of the military, the growth of parties, and splits within the ruling party - led to democratization in the early twentieth century. Military professionalization increased the incentives for the opposition to abandon the armed struggle and focus on the electoral path to power. The growth of parties boosted the capacity of the opposition to enact and enforce democratic reforms that would level the electoral playing field. And ruling party splits created the opportunity for the opposition and ruling party dissidents to ally and push through reforms. This persuasive and original book offers important implications for the study of democracy. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

Contents:

Introduction. The origins of democracy in South America

Armies, parties, and the birth of democracy

Elections and democracy in South America before 1930

Military professionalization and the decline of revolts in South America

The origins of strong parties in South America

The roots of strong democracies : Chile and Uruguay

The roots of weak democracies : Argentina and Colombia

The roots of stable autocracies : Brazil, Peru, and Venezuela

The roots of unstable autocracies : Bolivia, Ecuador, and Paraguay

Conclusion. Contributions and implications.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 06 Jun 2025).

ISBN:

1-009-63382-1

1-009-63383-X

1-009-63380-5

Access Restriction:

Open Access. Unrestricted online access