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Since the late nineteenth century, the emergence of young democracies has been the distinguished tendency of the contemporary history. As the growing wave of democratization resulted in the liberalization of numerous states around the globe, the democratic transitions irreversibly changed the political map of the world. This political phenomenon indicates the undeniable advantages of the democratic rule that constitute the appealing image of the liberal society. Historically, the spread of democracy fostered the development of the flexible political institutions that are capable of enforcing the long-term strategy of social stability and prosperity.
Historical background
The development of the fundamental concepts of democracy started in the late nineteenth century. The contemporary political map of Europe consisted mostly of the monarchies that exhibited little interest in the state building. They have successfully secured the monopoly on military violence, trade regulation, diplomacy, and enforcement of justice (Mann 32). Therefore, the young nation-states did not enough to define the rights and the role of the citizenry in the political and social development of the country. The assertion suggests that the contemporary elites derived their power from the benefits of the upper-class origin, whereas the larger mass of population was essentially excluded from the political process. However, the situation changed after the French Revolution. The Jacobin ideology was the first to articulate the necessity of the stronger state and active citizenship (Mann 32). Although Jacobinism did not survive the opposition to the liberal values, the idea of a strong authority led to the emergence of industrial capitalism. The national governments have considerably diversified their role in the political development of the countries, including the regulation of economic activities, road building, and struggle with poverty (Mann 32). At the end of the nineteenth century, considerable progress in the state building promoted an innovative concept of civil society. The expansion of the state roads, the establishment of mass education, public health, and emergence of the first welfare programs evoked the popular interest in the reduction of the monarchical authority by means of creating representative governments (Mann 32-33). The first surges of political and social activism demonstrate the gradual shift from absolutism to liberalization, while the concept of citizenship played the crucial role in the subsequent popularization of democracy.
Throughout the history, the global process of democratization consisted of several stages. Only few of the states had actual democracies in the early twentieth century. The American and the French Revolutions had stimulated the rise of democratic governments around the world, including in Britain, the British dominions, the USA, Argentina, Germany, Japan, Spain, Switzerland, France, and the Scandinavian nations (Kurlantzick 34). The second wave of democratization occurred in the post-war period as the German Defeat has popularized the Anglo-American political model. The victory over fascism and subsequent decline of the colonial empires lead to the democratic transformations in the Asian, African, and Latin American countries, and namely: Venezuela, Peru, India, Israel, Nigeria, and Pakistan (Kurlantzick 35). The next wave of democratization was initiated by the politically resonant event in Portugal. In 1974, the Carnation Revolution marked the overthrow of the old authoritarian regime and spread of democracy across the southern Europe, the parts of East Asia and Latin America in the 1980s, as well as the Eastern Europe after the collapse of the Soviet Union (Kurlantzick 35). The final surge of the democratic transformations occurred in the sub-Saharan region, the Middle East, and the remaining former members of the Communist bloc in the late 1990s and early 2000s (Kurlantzick 51-52). The presented illustration of the democratic progress in the former colonial and authoritarian states highlights the benefits of liberalization as a driving force behind the eradication of despotism and tyranny.
Democratic institutions
The fundamental characteristics of democracy constitute the minimum of requirements that are vitally important for the formation of the civil society. Unlike dictatorships, democracy presupposes the collective participation in the decision-making process, whereas the presence of the competitive alternating elites ensures the peaceful mode of the policy implementation and power transfer (“The Democratic Minimum”). The citizenry, in its turn, enjoys the benefit of the enforceable political rights. The free access to the civil liberties is primarily manifested in the participation of the population in the established mechanisms of voting (“The Democratic Minimum”). The specific electoral rules ensure the proportional representation of all social groups and presence of the political pluralism, while the voters have an opportunity to express their electoral preferences and largely determine the policy outcomes (“The Democratic Minimum”). The described mechanisms of political dynamics guarantee the low possibility of polarization, empowerment of the particular group, and the emergence of autocratic elements, since the power comes from the peoples. In other words, the assertive self-interest of political forces must also consider the public opinion as their ascension to power depends on the electoral support.
Meanwhile, the democratic landscape allows the stable development of the social institutions. The successful transition to the liberal society is generally associated with the high investments in the public health and education. According to the United Nations Human Development Report, democracies tend to have “higher rates of literacy, greater access to basic health care and safe drinking water, greater enrollment in primary school, and less malnutrition” than dictatorships (Kurlantzick 206). At the same time, the economic openness makes the democratic system a rather flexible form of the government. Democracies are generally good at adapting to crisis and making analysis of the committed mistakes due to their capacity to process information and articulate an appropriate response to the influx of data (Kurlantzick 206). The evidence illustrates the high level of institutional mobility manifested in the quick reaction to the urgent issues and responsiveness to pressing challenges.
The strong emphasis on the national well-being is generally attributed to the accountability imposed on the political bodies by the legal regulations and valid statutes. Since the public support is the central incentive for remaining in power, the political elites are compelled to design the package of effective anti-crisis measures in order to ensure the public welfare (Kurlantzick 206). As a result, democracies are better equipped for handling the critical situations, since even the poorest democracies provide the longer life expectancy than the authoritarian regimes (Kurlantzick 206). Therefore, the established system of checks and balances raises the overall awareness about the possibility of the regime change as the transition of power is usually marked by the change in the electoral affiliations. The allegation largely explains the low possibility to neglect the social issues as well as the material and health needs of the citizens by the state officials.
Implications for the future
The democratic institutions can easily establish a stable government. The maintenance of the political and social stability necessitates the adherence to several compulsory conditions. The ability to reach the compromise by means of bargains indicates the governmental ability to manage the interests of the multiple social groups in order to achieve a positive democratic outcome (“The Solution to the Paradox of Democratic Exuberance”). The effective management skills allow the government to eliminate the elements of aristocracy, i.e. the empowerment of the particular social groups (“The Solution to the Paradox of Democratic Exuberance”). The even distribution of power, in turn, prevents the polarization of the political forces that may result in the conflict of interests. This may be achieved by forging the links between the democratic institutions (“The Solution to the Paradox of Democratic Exuberance”). Thus, the delicate equilibrium of power is a compulsory condition for the overall social prosperity and political stability.
Moreover, the establishment of the bridging institutions helps to regulate the balance of power among various political players. The parliaments, in particular, offer the favorable environment for reaching the credible bargains between the supporters and opponents of democracy (“The Solution to the Paradox of Democratic Exuberance”). This implies that the representative bodies are an effective channel of promotion of the individual self-interests in a safe mode of the multilateral negotiations. In fact, this strategy prevents the rise of crisis, polarization, and breakdown. Other strategies of successful democratization emphasize the significance of the economic prosperity to ensure that the regime survives. Along with the secularization of society, the promotion of the interests of the working class stimulates the economic development and stability (“The Solution to the Paradox of Democratic Exuberance”). The growing surplus, however, stimulates the engagement in the international trade and boosts the liberalization of the state economic system (“The Solution to the Paradox of Democratic Exuberance”). In addition, the incorporation of the global trade system into the democratic plan indicates the legitimacy and organizational capacity of the democratic governments (“The Solution to the Paradox of Democratic Exuberance”). The evidence suggests that democracy offers numerous political and economic tools of fostering the overall stability and broad support for the present state policies.
In the meanwhile, democratization constitutes the long-term strategy of successful state building. Despite the immediate disruptive effects of rapid liberalization, democracy creates and sustains the political stability enjoyed by the countries of the third and second wave of democratization. Their experiences suggest that the large investments in the social well-being of the citizenry stimulate vast development and affirm the legitimacy of the democratic governments (Kurlantzick 202). The statistical data derived from the close examination of the growth figures and other indicators of the social prosperity, support the assertion. For instance, the long-term strategy of combating the child mortality, widely implemented by the democratic states, produces higher results than that of their authoritarian counterparts (Kurlantzick 202). In the end, excellent social performance of democracies results in the longer life expectancy of the population (Kurlantzick 203). The above-mentioned example indicates that stability is the distinctive feature of the democratic regimes. Kurlantzick accurately notes that the stable growth helps to sustain democracies for decades, since the absence of the disruptive occurrences boosts the economic development (203). Furthermore, democracies are capable of responding to the economic challenges more effectively than dictatorships. In the late 1990s, the Asian democratic states recovered from the economic crisis more quickly than authoritarian and hybrid regimes (Kurlantzick 203). The provided characteristic of the institutional capacity reveals enormous potential of the democratic institutions to uphold high life standards and ensure the overall health of society in future.
Conclusion
Since the late nineteenth century, democracy has transformed into the advantageous form of government that necessitates the formation of the political institutions, i.e. the representative bodies and regulatory mechanisms that ensure the political stability and overall prosperity of the nation. The results of the academic studies and historical analysis seem to confirm the claim by explaining the emergence of democracy, the spread of liberal ideology across the world, and the role of democratic institutions in the improvement of social welfare. The further study of the issue under discussion may help to make a cross-national comparison of democratic institutions.
Works Cited
Kurlantzick, Joshua. Democracy in Retreat: The Revolt of the Middle Class and the Worldwide Decline of Representative Government. Yale University Press, 2013.
Mann, Michiel. Fascists. Cambridge University Press, 2004.
“The Solution to the Paradox of Democratic Exuberance.” Lecture.
“The Democratic Minimum.” Lecture.
