Comparative Analysis of Democratization prof. Fulvio Venturino

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

2. 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

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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

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

8. 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