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The Struggle for Democracy: A Global Perspective
**Introduction**
The struggle for democracy is a persistent and evolving challenge faced by nations worldwide. Democracy, characterized by free and fair elections, the rule of law, and the protection of human rights, is often seen as the ideal form of governance. However, the path to achieving and maintaining democracy is fraught with obstacles. This article explores the global struggle for democracy, highlighting key historical events, contemporary challenges, and the ongoing efforts to promote democratic values.
**Historical Context**
The concept of democracy dates back to ancient Greece, where citizens participated directly in decision-making. However, modern democracy, as we know it, began to take shape in the 18th century with the American and French Revolutions. These revolutions emphasized the principles of liberty, equality, and fraternity, laying the groundwork for democratic governance.
Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, many countries transitioned from monarchies and colonial rule to democratic systems. The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the subsequent collapse of the Soviet Union marked a significant victory for democracy, leading to the democratization of Eastern Europe.
**Contemporary Challenges**
Despite these advancements, the struggle for democracy continues. Several factors contribute to the ongoing challenges faced by democratic movements around the world:
1. **Authoritarianism**: In many countries, authoritarian regimes suppress democratic movements through censorship, imprisonment, and violence. Leaders in these regimes often manipulate elections and undermine democratic institutions to maintain power³.
2. **Corruption**: Corruption erodes public trust in democratic institutions and processes. When government officials engage in corrupt practices, it undermines the principles of transparency and accountability that are essential for democracy³.
3. **Economic Inequality**: Economic disparities can hinder democratic participation. When a significant portion of the population is struggling to meet basic needs, they may be less likely to engage in political processes. Additionally, wealthier individuals and corporations can exert undue influence on politics³.
4. **Disinformation**: The spread of false information through social media and other platforms can distort public perception and undermine democratic processes. Disinformation campaigns can polarize societies and erode trust in democratic institutions³.
5. **Globalization**: While globalization has brought economic growth and technological advancements, it has also led to cultural homogenization and the erosion of local identities. This can create tensions and resistance to democratic values³.
**Case Studies**
1. **Hong Kong**: The struggle for democracy in Hong Kong has garnered international attention. Pro-democracy activists have faced significant challenges from the Chinese government, which has implemented laws to curb dissent and limit political freedoms³.
2. **Belarus**: In Belarus, the 2020 presidential election sparked widespread protests against President Alexander Lukashenko, who has been in power since 1994. The government's violent crackdown on protesters highlighted the ongoing struggle for democratic reforms³.
3. **Myanmar**: Myanmar's transition to democracy was abruptly halted in 2021 when the military seized power in a coup. The subsequent crackdown on pro-democracy activists and ethnic minorities has drawn international condemnation³.
**Efforts to Promote Democracy**
Despite these challenges, numerous organizations and movements continue to advocate for democratic values:
1. **International Organizations**: Organizations such as the United Nations, the European Union, and the Organization of American States work to promote democracy through diplomatic efforts, election monitoring, and support for civil society³.
2. **Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)**: NGOs like Freedom House, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International play a crucial role in advocating for human rights and democratic governance. They provide support to activists, document abuses, and raise awareness about the importance of democracy³.
3. **Grassroots Movements**: Local activists and grassroots movements are often at the forefront of the struggle for democracy. These movements mobilize communities, organize protests, and advocate for political reforms³.
4. **Education and Awareness**: Promoting democratic values through education is essential for building a culture of democracy. Educational programs that emphasize critical thinking, civic engagement, and human rights can empower individuals to participate in democratic processes³.
**The Role of Technology**
Technology has a dual role in the struggle for democracy. On one hand, it can be a powerful tool for promoting democratic values. Social media platforms and digital communication tools enable activists to organize, share information, and mobilize support. On the other hand, technology can also be used to suppress dissent and spread disinformation. Authoritarian regimes often employ sophisticated surveillance technologies to monitor and control their populations³.
**Conclusion**
The struggle for democracy is an ongoing and multifaceted challenge. While significant progress has been made over the past centuries, contemporary issues such as authoritarianism, corruption, economic inequality, disinformation, and globalization continue to pose threats to democratic governance. However, the efforts of international organizations, NGOs, grassroots movements, and educational initiatives provide hope for the future of democracy. By understanding and addressing these challenges, we can work towards a more democratic and just world.
| struggle for democracy: Struggle for Democracy Edward S. Greenberg, Gordon Scott Fulcher Professor of Decision Making in the Department of Political Science Benjamin I Page, 2010-12-22 Books à la Carte are unbound, three-hole-punch versions of the textbook. This lower cost option is easy to transport and comes with same access code or media that would be packaged with the bound book. This Package Contains: MyPoliSciLab with E-Book Student Access Code Card and The Struggle for Democracy, Books a la Carte Edition Updated in a new 10th edition, The Struggle for Democracy challenges students to think critically about American government and to evaluate the quality of democracy in America within a unique framework that offers a holistic view of our system. Its critical thinking approach to politics, features, and narrative are designed to teach students to look closely and question logically about the American political process. |
| struggle for democracy: The Struggle for Democracy Edward S. Greenberg, Benjamin I. Page, 2002 Greenberg, Edward S. and Page, Benjamin I., Struggle for Democracy, The: CourseCompass Edition, 5th Edition *\ This edition seamlessly integrates the online course management capabilities and web activities of Greenberg's CourseCompass website with the book. The Greenberg CourseCompass website features pre-loaded, text-specific content, including two types of highly engaging web activities: Web Explorations and LongmanParticipate.com exercises. Icons in the margins of the textbook direct readers to these activities on the Greenberg CourseCompass website, tying the book and the website together. For those interested in American Government. |
| struggle for democracy: The Struggle for Democracy Edward S. Greenberg, Benjamin I. Page, 1996 An undergraduate text in American government and politics, asking students to critically assess the quality of democracy in the US against an evaluative standard provided by the authors, and presenting a simple analytical framework to help readers understand how the elements of the political system |
| struggle for democracy: The Struggle for Democracy in Mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong Andreas Fulda, 2020 The question at the heart of this book is to what extent have political activists in mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong made progress in their quest to liberalise and democratise their respective polities. The book compares and contrasts the political development in the three regions from the early 1970s. |
| struggle for democracy: The Struggle of Democracy Against Terrorism Emanuel Gross, 2006 Examines the legal and moral complexities democracies face when dealing with terrorism. This book is useful to students and teachers of law, political science, and philosophy, as well as to citizens and activists concerned with the impact of terrorism on civil liberties. |
| struggle for democracy: Fighting for Democracy Christopher S. Parker, 2009-08-17 How military service led black veterans to join the civil rights struggle Fighting for Democracy shows how the experiences of African American soldiers during World War II and the Korean War influenced many of them to challenge white supremacy in the South when they returned home. Focusing on the motivations of individual black veterans, this groundbreaking book explores the relationship between military service and political activism. Christopher Parker draws on unique sources of evidence, including interviews and survey data, to illustrate how and why black servicemen who fought for their country in wartime returned to America prepared to fight for their own equality. Parker discusses the history of African American military service and how the wartime experiences of black veterans inspired them to contest Jim Crow. Black veterans gained courage and confidence by fighting their nation's enemies on the battlefield and racism in the ranks. Viewing their military service as patriotic sacrifice in the defense of democracy, these veterans returned home with the determination and commitment to pursue equality and social reform in the South. Just as they had risked their lives to protect democratic rights while abroad, they risked their lives to demand those same rights on the domestic front. Providing a sophisticated understanding of how war abroad impacts efforts for social change at home, Fighting for Democracy recovers a vital story about black veterans and demonstrates their distinct contributions to the American political landscape. |
| struggle for democracy: Kenya Shadrack W. Nasong'o, Godwin R. Murunga, 2013-07-18 The path towards democracy in Kenya has been long and often tortuous. Though it has been trumpeted as a goal for decades, democratic government has never been fully realised, largely as a result of the authoritarian excesses of the Kenyatta, Moi and Kibaki regimes. This uniquely comprehensive study of Kenya's political trajectory shows how the struggle for democracy has been waged in civil society, through opposition parties, and amongst traditionally marginalised groups like women and the young. It also considers the remaining impediments to democratisation, in the form of a powerful police force and damaging structural adjustment policies. Thus, the authors argue, democratisation in Kenya is a laborious and non-linear process. Kenyans' recent electoral successes, the book concludes, have empowered them and reinvigorated the prospects for democracy, heralding a more autonomous and peaceful twenty-first century. |
| struggle for democracy: Politics, Power and the Struggle for Democracy in South-East Europe Karen Dawisha, Bruce Parrott, 1997-06-13 Edited by two of the world's leading analysts of post communist politics, this book brings together distinguished specialists on Bosnia-Hercegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Slovenia, Serbia/Montenegro, Albania, Bulgaria, and Romania. The authors analyse the challenge of building democracy in the countries of the former Yugoslavia riven by conflict, and in neighboring states. They focus on oppositional activity, political cultures that often favour strong presidentialism, the role of nationalism, and basic socioeconomic trends. Karen Dawisha and Bruce Parrott provide theoretical and comparative chapters on post communist political development across the region. This book will provide students and scholars with detailed analysis by leading authorities, plus the latest research data on recent political and economic developments in each country. |
| struggle for democracy: Education And The Struggle For Democracy Carr, Wilfred, Hartnett, Anthony, 1996-03-01 During the past decade there has been a series of radical changes to the educational system of England and Wales. This book argues that any serious study of these changes has to engage with complex questions about the role of education in a modern liberal democracy. Were these educational changes informed by the needs and aspirations of a democratic society? To what extent will they promote democratic values and ideals? These questions can only be adequately addressed by making explicit the political ideas and the underlying philosophical principles that have together shaped the English educational system. To this end, the book provides a selective history of English education which exposes the connections between decisive periods of educational change and the intellectual and political climate in which it occurred. It also connects the educational policies of the 1980s and 90s to the political ideas of the New Right in order to show how they are part of a broader political strategy aimed at reversing the democratic advances achieved through the intellectual and political struggles of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The book proposes that a democratic educational vision can only effectively be advanced by renewing the 'struggle for democracy' - the historical struggle to create forms of education which will empower all citizens to participate in an open, pluralistic and democratic society. |
| struggle for democracy: The Struggle for Democracy in Chile Paul W. Drake, Ivan Jaksic, 1995-01-01 This revised edition of The Struggle for Democracy in Chile should prove even more useful to the student of Latin American history and politics than the original. It updates important background information on the evolution of Chile?s military dictatorship in the 1970s and its erosion in the 1980s. Brian Loveman, an authority on contemporary Chilean politics, offers a comprehensive examination of the transition to civilian government in Chile from 1990 to 1994 in a substantial new chapter. Loveman chronicles the rise of the Concertaci¢n coalition, the strained relations between General Pinochet?s military and President Alwyn?s civilian government, and the roles of the National Women?s Service (SERNAM), the Catholic Church, and the indigenous peoples of Chile. All eleven essays by the leading authorities on the Pinochet regime from the earlier edition have been retained. The bibliography has been updated and the index improved. ø The Struggle for Democracy in Chile remains the first and foremost book on the transition over the last twenty-five years from dictatorship to democracy in Chile. |
| struggle for democracy: The Struggle for Democracy Patrick Watson, Benjamin R. Barber, 1988 The complete history of democracy. |
| struggle for democracy: The Struggle for Democracy Edward S. Greenberg, Benjamin J. Page, 2002 |
| struggle for democracy: Liberation Technology Larry Diamond, Marc F. Plattner, 2012-07-30 Liberation Technology brings together cutting-edge scholarship from scholars and practitioners at the forefront of this burgeoning field of study. An introductory section defines the debate with a foundational piece on liberation technology and is then followed by essays discussing the popular dichotomy of liberation'' versus control with regard to the Internet and the sociopolitical dimensions of such controls. Additional chapters delve into the cases of individual countries: China, Egypt, Iran, and Tunisia. |
| struggle for democracy: Latin America's Struggle for Democracy Larry Diamond, Marc F. Plattner, Diego Abente Brun, 2008-10-06 2009 Outstanding Academic Title, Choice Almost thirty years have passed since Latin America joined democracy’s global “third wave,” and not a single government has reverted to what was once the most common form of authoritarianism: military rule. Behind this laudable record, however, lurk problems that are numerous and deep, ranging from an ominous resurgence of antidemocratic and economically irresponsible populism to the fragility and unreliability of key democratic institutions. A new addition to the Journal of Democracy series, this volume ponders both the successes and the difficulties that color Latin American politics today. The book brings together recent articles from the journal and adds new and updated material. In these essays, a distinguished roster of contributors thoughtfully examines democratic problems and prospects from the Rio Grande to Tierra del Fuego. The first section assesses regionwide trends, including the forces behind the much-discussed political “turn to the left,” the travails of the presidential form of government, the challenges of integrating newly mobilized indigenous populations into politics, the need for major reform in labor markets, and the implications of rising populism for democratic institutions and governance. The second section features important case studies of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. The final section surveys Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. Contributors: Jorge G. Castañeda, Matthew R. Cleary, Catherine M. Conaghan, Javier Corrales, Consuelo Cruz, Lucía Dammert, Daniel P. Erikson, Luis Estrada, Eric Farnsworth, Steven Levitsky, Scott Mainwaring, Cynthia McClintock, Marco A. Morales, María Victoria Murillo, Michael Penfold, Alejandro Poiré, Eduardo Posada-Carbó, Christopher Sabatini, Hector E. Schamis, Andreas Schedler, Mitchell A. Seligson, Lourdes Sola, Arturo Valenzuela, Donna Lee Van Cott |
| struggle for democracy: The Struggle for Democracy Edward S. Greenberg, 1999 An undergraduate text in American government and politics, asking students to critically assess the quality of democracy in the US against an evaluative standard provided by the authors, and presenting a simple analytical framework to help readers understand how the elements of the political system interact. Covers traditional topics, as well as structural factors such as the free enterprise system and the nature of US society. Includes opening vignettes, comparative materials, key terms, and features on political struggles and film and politics, plus appendices of historical documents. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR |
| struggle for democracy: The Struggle for Development and Democracy Alessandro Olsaretti, 2021-12-13 In The Struggle for Development and Democracy Alessandro Olsaretti proposes a humanist social science as a first step to overcome the flaws of neoliberalism, and to recover a balanced approach that is needed in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. |
| struggle for democracy: The Continuing Struggle For Democracy In Latin America Howard J. Wiarda, 2019-06-18 This integrated collection of original essays evaluates and assesses whether democracy is viable in Latin America and, if so, how and in what form. The authors examine the significance, for both Latin America and the United States, of the dominance of authoritarian political systems in most Latin American countries; explore the implications of asse |
| struggle for democracy: The Struggle for Democratic Politics in the Dominican Republic Jonathan Hartlyn, 1998 Over the past several decades, the Dominican Republic has experienced striking political stagnation in spite of dramatic socioeconomic transformations. In this work, Jonathan Hartlyn offers a new explanation for the country's political evolution, based on |
| struggle for democracy: Popular Struggle and Democracy in Scandinavia Flemming Mikkelsen, Knut Kjeldstadli, Stefan Nyzell, 2017-10-16 This book focuses on popular struggles in Denmark, Norway and Sweden from 1700-2015, and how popular struggle in the form of hunger riots, tax rebellions, petition drives, strikes, demonstrations, public meetings and social movements paved the way for the introduction and development of civil liberties and political rights. The author portrays social and political mass mobilization of ordinary people as vital to the construction of democracy, and an essential condition for the formation of the Scandinavian welfare states. Popular Struggle and Democracy in Scandinavia shows the transnational connections between Denmark, Norway and Sweden and between Scandinavia and the rest of Europe, and also contains a comparison of popular struggle in Scandinavia seen in a wider European perspective. The book will be of interest to social scientists, historians and students and researchers with an interest in popular struggles in Scandinavia. |
| struggle for democracy: Media, Communication and the Struggle for Democratic Change Katrin Voltmer, Christian Christensen, Irene Neverla, Nicole Stremlau, Barbara Thomass, Nebojša Vladisavljević, Herman Wasserman, 2020-09-06 This book investigates the role of media and communication in processes of democratization in different political and cultural contexts. Struggles for democratic change are periods of intense contest over the transformation of citizenship and the reconfiguration of political power. These democratization conflicts are played out within an increasingly complex media ecology where traditional modes of communication merge with new digital networks, thus bringing about multiple platforms for journalists and political actors to promote and contest competing definitions of reality. The volume draws on extensive case study research in South Africa, Kenya, Egypt and Serbia to highlight the ambivalent role of the media as force for democratic change, citizen empowerment, and accountability, as well as driver of polarization, radicalization and manipulation. |
| struggle for democracy: Democracy in Africa Nic Cheeseman, 2015-05-12 This book provides the first comprehensive overview of the history of democracy in Africa and explains why the continent's democratic experiments have so often failed, as well as how they could succeed. Nic Cheeseman grapples with some of the most important questions facing Africa and democracy today, including whether international actors should try and promote democracy abroad, how to design political systems that manage ethnic diversity, and why democratic governments often make bad policy decisions. Beginning in the colonial period with the introduction of multi-party elections and ending in 2013 with the collapse of democracy in Mali and South Sudan, the book describes the rise of authoritarian states in the 1970s; the attempts of trade unions and some religious groups to check the abuse of power in the 1980s; the remarkable return of multiparty politics in the 1990s; and finally, the tragic tendency for elections to exacerbate corruption and violence. |
| struggle for democracy: Defining Democracy Daniel O. Prosterman, 2013-02-14 Defining Democracy reveals the history of a little-known experiment in urban democracy begun in New York City during the Great Depression and abolished amid the early Cold War. For a decade, New Yorkers utilized a new voting system that produced the most diverse legislatures in the city's history and challenged the American two-party structure. Daniel O. Prosterman examines struggles over electoral reform in New York City to clarify our understanding of democracy's evolution in the United States and the world. |
| struggle for democracy: The Struggle for Democracy Christopher Meckstroth, 2015 Revolutionaries, counter-revolutionaries, and reformers the world over appeal to democracy to justify their actions. But when political factions compete over the right to act in the people's name, who is to decide? Although the problem is as old as the great revolutions of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, events from the Arab Spring to secession referendums suggest that today it is hardly any closer to being solved. This book defends a new theory of democratic legitimacy and change that provides an answer. Christopher Meckstroth shows why familiar views that identify democracy with timeless principles or institutions fall into paradox when asked to make sense of democratic founding and change. Solving the problem, he argues, requires shifting focus to the historical conditions under which citizens work out what it will mean to govern themselves in a democratic way. The only way of sorting out disputes without faith in progress is to show, in Socratic fashion, that some parties' claims to speak for the people cannot hold up even on their own terms. Meckstroth builds his argument on provocative and closely-argued interpretations of Plato, Kant, and Hegel, suggesting that familiar views of them as foundationalist metaphysicians misunderstand their debt to a method of radical doubt pioneered by Socrates. Recovering this tradition of antifoundational argument requires rethinking the place of German idealism in the history of political thought and opens new directions for contemporary democratic theory. The historical and Socratic theory of democracy the book defends makes possible an entirely new way of approaching struggles over contested notions of progress, popular sovereignty, political judgment and democratic change. |
| struggle for democracy: Outrage Bertil Lintner, 1990 |
| struggle for democracy: The Struggle for Democracy in Germany Eugene Newton Anderson, 1965 |
| struggle for democracy: Decentring the West Professor Viatcheslav Morozov, 2013-04-28 We live in a world where democracy is almost universally accepted as the only legitimate form of government but what makes a society democratic remains far from clear. Liberal democratic values are both relativized by the self-description of many non-democratic regimes as 'local' or 'culturally specific' versions of democracy, and undermined by the automatic labelling as 'democratic' of all norms and institutions that are modelled on western states. Decentring the West: The Idea of Democracy and the Struggle for Hegemony aims to demonstrate the urgent need to revisit the foundations of the global democratic consensus. By examining the views of democracy that exist in the countries on the semi-periphery of the world system such as Russia, Turkey, Bolivia, Venezuela, Brazil and China, as well as within the core (Estonia, Denmark and Sweden) the authors emphasize the truly universal significance of democracy, also showing the value of approaching this universality in a critical manner, as a consequence of the hegemonic position of the West in global politics. By juxtaposing, critically re-evaluating and combining poststructuralist hegemony theory and postcolonial studies this book demonstrates a new way to think about democracy as a truly international phenomenon. It thus contributes groundbreaking, thought-provoking insights to the conceptual and normative aspects of this vital debate. |
| struggle for democracy: Citizen Louise W. Knight, 2008-09-15 Jane Addams was the first American woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. Now Citizen, Louise W. Knight's masterful biography, reveals Addams's early development as a political activist and social philosopher. In this book we observe a powerful mind grappling with the radical ideas of her age, most notably the ever-changing meanings of democracy. Citizen covers the first half of Addams's life, from 1860 to 1899. Knight recounts how Addams, a child of a wealthy family in rural northern Illinois, longed for a life of larger purpose. She broadened her horizons through education, reading, and travel, and, after receiving an inheritance upon her father's death, moved to Chicago in 1889 to co-found Hull House, the city's first settlement house. Citizen shows vividly what the settlement house actually was—a neighborhood center for education and social gatherings—and describes how Addams learned of the abject working conditions in American factories, the unchecked power wielded by employers, the impact of corrupt local politics on city services, and the intolerable limits placed on women by their lack of voting rights. These experiences, Knight makes clear, transformed Addams. Always a believer in democracy as an abstraction, Addams came to understand that this national ideal was also a life philosophy and a mandate for civic activism by all. As her story unfolds, Knight astutely captures the enigmatic Addams's compassionate personality as well as her flawed human side. Written in a strong narrative voice, Citizen is an insightful portrait of the formative years of a great American leader. “Knight’s decision to focus on Addams’s early years is a stroke of genius. We know a great deal about Jane Addams the public figure. We know relatively little about how she made the transition from the 19th century to the 20th. In Knight’s book, Jane Addams comes to life. . . . Citizen is written neither to make money nor to gain academic tenure; it is a gift, meant to enlighten and improve. Jane Addams would have understood.”—Alan Wolfe, New York Times Book Review “My only complaint about the book is that there wasn’t more of it. . . . Knight honors Addams as an American original.”—Kathleen Dalton, Chicago Tribune |
| struggle for democracy: Recapturing Democracy Mark Purcell, 2008-03-25 Recapturing Democracy is a short yet synoptic introduction to urban democracy in our era of political neoliberalism and economic globalization. Combining an original argument with a number of case studies, Mark Purcell explores the condition of democracy in contemporary Western cities. Whereas many scholars focus on what Purcell calls procedural democracy – i.e., electoral politics and access to it – he instead assesses substantive democracy. By this he means the people’s ability to have some say over issues of social justice, material well being, and economic equality. Neoliberalism, which advocates a diminished role for the state and increasing power for mobile capital, has diminished substantive democracy in recent times, he argues. He looks at case studies where this has occurred and at others that show how neoliberalism can be resisted in the name of substantive democracy. Ultimately, he utilizes Henri Lefebvre’s notion of the right to the city, which encompasses substantive as well as procedural democracy for ordinary urban citizens. |
| struggle for democracy: Repression And Resistance Edelberto Torres-rivas, 2019-07-11 This book summarizes the multiple origins of the crisis that Central Americans are suffering today. It focuses on an analysis of the revolutionary popular movements as a form of social movement capable of joining together a diversity of class-based groups. |
| struggle for democracy: Narrating Democracy in Myanmar Tamas Wells, 2021-04-30 This book analyses what Myanmar's struggle for democracy has signified to Burmese activists and democratic leaders, and to their international allies. In doing so, it explores how understanding contested meanings of democracy helps make sense of the country's tortuous path since Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy won historic elections in 2015. Using Burmese and English language sources, Narrating Democracy in Myanmar reveals how the country's ongoing struggles for democracy exist not only in opposition to Burmese military elites, but also within networks of local activists and democratic leaders, and international aid workers. |
| struggle for democracy: A Kingdom in Crisis Andrew MacGregor Marshall, 2015-11-15 'Perhaps the best introduction yet to the roots of Thailand's present political impasse. A brilliant book.' Simon Long, The Economist Struggling to emerge from a despotic past, and convulsed by an intractable conflict that will determine its future, Thailand stands at a defining moment in its history. Scores have been killed on the streets of Bangkok. Freedom of speech is routinely denied. Democracy appears increasingly distant. And many Thais fear that the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej is expected to unleash even greater instability. Yet in spite of the impact of the crisis, and the extraordinary importance of the royal succession, they have never been comprehensively analysed – until now. Breaking Thailand's draconian lèse majesté law, Andrew MacGregor Marshall is one of the only journalists covering contemporary Thailand to tell the whole story. Marshall provides a comprehensive explanation that for the first time makes sense of the crisis, revealing the unacknowledged succession conflict that has become entangled with the struggle for democracy in Thailand. |
| struggle for democracy: The Struggle for Democracy in Germany Gabriel Abraham Almond, Eugene Newton Anderson, 1965 |
| struggle for democracy: Toward Democracy James T. Kloppenberg, 2016 James T. Kloppenberg presents the history of democracy from the perspective of those who established its principles, offering a fresh look at how ideas about representative government, suffrage, and the principles of self-rule and ideals have shifted over time and place. |
| struggle for democracy: Organizing Civil Society Philip D. Oxhorn, 2010-11-01 |
| struggle for democracy: The Chiapas Rebellion Neil Harvey, 1998 Through a pathbreaking study of the Zapatista rebellion of 1994, looks at the complexities of the political movement for Chiapas's indigenous peoples. |
| struggle for democracy: Struggle for Democracy Edward S. Greenberg, 1997-01-01 |
| struggle for democracy: Fragile Democracy James L. Leloudis, Robert R. Korstad, 2020-08-06 America is at war with itself over the right to vote, or, more precisely, over the question of who gets to exercise that right and under what circumstances. Conservatives speak in ominous tones of voter fraud so widespread that it threatens public trust in elected government. Progressives counter that fraud is rare and that calls for reforms such as voter ID are part of a campaign to shrink the electorate and exclude some citizens from the political life of the nation. North Carolina is a battleground for this debate, and its history can help us understand why--a century and a half after ratification of the Fifteenth Amendment--we remain a nation divided over the right to vote. In Fragile Democracy, James L. Leloudis and Robert R. Korstad tell the story of race and voting rights, from the end of the Civil War until the present day. They show that battles over the franchise have played out through cycles of emancipatory politics and conservative retrenchment. When race has been used as an instrument of exclusion from political life, the result has been a society in which vast numbers of Americans are denied the elements of meaningful freedom: a good job, a good education, good health, and a good home. That history points to the need for a bold new vision of what democracy looks like. |
| struggle for democracy: The Struggle for Egypt Steven A. Cook, 2011-10-07 The recent revolution in Egypt has shaken the Arab world to its roots. The most populous Arab country and the historical center of Arab intellectual life, Egypt is a lynchpin of the US's Middle East strategy, receiving more aid than any nation except Israel. This is not the first time that the world and has turned its gaze to Egypt, however. A half century ago, Egypt under Nasser became the putative leader of the Arab world and a beacon for all developing nations. Yet in the decades prior to the 2011 revolution, it was ruled over by a sclerotic regime plagued by nepotism and corruption. During that time, its economy declined into near shambles, a severely overpopulated Cairo fell into disrepair, and it produced scores of violent Islamic extremists such as Ayman al-Zawahiri and Mohammed Atta. In this new and updated paperback edition of The Struggle for Egypt, Steven Cook--a Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations--explains how this parlous state of affairs came to be, why the revolution occurred, and where Egypt is headed now. A sweeping account of Egypt in the modern era, it incisively chronicles all of the nation's central historical episodes: the decline of British rule, the rise of Nasser and his quest to become a pan-Arab leader, Egypt's decision to make peace with Israel and ally with the United States, the assassination of Sadat, the emergence of the Muslim Brotherhood, and--finally--the demonstrations that convulsed Tahrir Square and overthrew an entrenched regime. And for the paperback edition, Cook has updated the book to include coverage of the recent political events in Egypt, including the election of the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Morsi as President. Throughout Egypt's history, there has been an intense debate to define what Egypt is, what it stands for, and its relation to the world. Egyptians now have an opportunity to finally answer these questions. Doing so in a way that appeals to the vast majority of Egyptians, Cook notes, will be difficult but ultimately necessary if Egypt is to become an economically dynamic and politically vibrant society. |
| struggle for democracy: The Quest for Democracy in Iran Fakhreddin Azimi, 2010-09-30 The Constitutional Revolution of 1906 launched Iran as a pioneer in a broad-based movement to establish democratic rule in the non-Western world. In a book that provides essential context for understanding modern Iran, Fakhreddin Azimi traces a century of struggle for the establishment of representative government. The promise of constitutional rule was cut short in the 1920s with the rise of the Pahlavi dynasty. Reza Shah, whose despotic rule Azimi deftly captures, maintained the façade of a constitutional monarch but greeted any challenge with an iron fist: “I will eliminate you,” he routinely barked at his officials. In 1941, fearful of losing control of the oil-rich region, the Allies forced Reza Shah to abdicate but allowed Mohammad Reza to succeed his father. Though promising to abide by the constitution, the new Shah missed no opportunity to undermine it. The Anglo-American–backed coup of 1953, which ousted reformist premier Mohammed Mosaddeq, dealt a blow to the constitutionalists. The Shah’s repressive policies and subservience to the United States radicalized both secular and religious opponents, leading to the revolution of 1979. Azimi argues that we have fundamentally misunderstood this event by characterizing it as an “Islamic” revolution when it was in reality the expression of a long-repressed desire for popular sovereignty. This explains why the clerical rulers have failed to counter the growing public conviction that the Islamic Republic, too, is impervious to political reform—and why the democratic impulse that began with the Constitutional Revolution continues to be a potent and resilient force. |
| struggle for democracy: The Spirit of Democracy Larry Diamond, 2008-01-08 One of America's preeminent experts on democracy charts the future prospects for freedom around the world in the aftermath of Iraq and deepening authoritarianism Over three decades, the world was transformed. In 1974, nearly three-quarters of all countries were dictatorships; today, more than half are democracies. Yet recent efforts to promote democracy have stumbled, and many democratic governments are faltering. In this bold and sweeping vision for advancing freedom around the world, social scientist Larry Diamond examines how and why democracy progresses. He demonstrates that the desire for democracy runs deep, even in very poor countries, and that seemingly entrenched regimes like Iran and China could become democracies within a generation. He also dissects the causes of the democratic recession in critical states, including the crime-infested oligarchy in Russia and the strong-armed populism of Venezuela. Diamond cautions that arrogance and inconsistency have undermined America's aspirations to promote democracy. To spur a renewed democratic boom, he urges vigorous support of good governance—the rule of law, security, protection of individual rights, and shared economic prosperity—and free civic organizations. Only then will the spirit of democracy be secured. |
The Struggle for Democracy - JSTOR
a democracy goes beyond the freedoms of street mobilization or electoral par-ticipation and requires also the build-ing of democratic institutions. What is compelling in DahPs formulation …
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The Struggle for Democracy introduces students to political science research that is evidence based, peer reviewed, and bias free so that they have the tools to decode the American …
STRUGGLE FOR NATIONAL DEMOCRACY - WordPress.com
This book is a historical record of the legal struggle for national liberation and democracy against U.S. imperial- ism, feudalism and bureaucrat capitalism in the „60s and early „70s. It was the …
The Struggle for Democracy in the United States - The …
WILLIAM E. DODD. FOR nearly four years now the world has been engaged in a most desperate struggle-it has developed into a struggle for democracy, and men now talk democracy and …
Forging a Non-Violent Mass Movement: Economic Shocks …
Forging a Non-Violent Mass Movement: Economic Shocks and Organizational Innovations in India's Struggle for Democracy. Rikhil R. Bhavnani Department of Political Science University …
Regional sanctions and the struggle for democracy: …
This special issue unpacks the trend of RO sanctions in regions that are both democracy-dense (Europe and the Americas) and autocracy-dense (Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East). …
A Leaderless Struggle for Democracy - Freedom House
freedoms in the world’s largest democracy. • Iran: Security forces killed hundreds of people and arrested thousands in a bid to stamp out antigovernment protests, and authorities set a …
Otpor and the Struggle for Democracy in Serbia (1998-2000)
Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic used brutal methods to establish his regime, fanning the flames of Serbian nationalism, leading his country into wars with Croatia and Bosnia, and …
Democracy in Africa: Successes, Failures, and the Struggle for ...
Democracy in Africa: Successes, Failures, and the Struggle for Political Reform has written a fascinating account on the extent African states have moved toward, and away from …
The Struggle for Democracy in a Changed World - JSTOR
we find that the guardians of world order have sought to establish democracy in one sense of the term, while blocking it in a different sense. There is every reason to expect these dominant …
THE STRUGGLE FOR DEMOCRACY IN KENYA THROUGH THE …
This paper traces for discussion, the history of the struggle for democracy through electoral process focusing on the experience of Kenya in order to understand the challenges we need to …
Jeffrey Sachs: Gorbachev and the Struggle for Democracy
Gorbachev is Russia’s leading Democrat, yet he is widely reviled inside Russia, neglected in the United States, and unknown to youth around the world. The unheralded fact is that …
Robert A. Dahl: Questions, concepts, proving it - Yale University
Feb 25, 2015 · resourceful in creating or tailoring holistic concepts such as ‘democracy’ and ‘power,’ as well as compositional categories such as ‘cumulative’ versus ‘noncumulative’ resources, or ‘participation’ and ‘contestation’ as routes to democratization.
democracy as ideal and democracy as struggle
democracy as ideal and democracy as struggle. Toward Democracy traces a remarkable journey across two continents. Its aim, as the subtitle indicates, is to chart “the struggle for self-rule” in …
The Struggle for Democracy in Education: Lessons from …
As Apple (2018) writes in the introductory chapter, “The Struggle for Democracy in Education asks us to face these forces and actors, both progressive and retrogressive, and to ask what we can do to ensure that the education that is
Otpor and the Struggle for Democracy in Serbia (1998-2000)
Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic used brutal methods to establish his regime, fanning the flames of Serbian nationalism, leading his country into wars with Croatia and Bosnia, and …
The Chinese Struggle for Democracy - JSTOR
The Chinese Struggle for Democracy By JOHN LEE NO STORY about modern China is more exciting than the story of her people in their struggle for democ-racy; only a major part of it can …
Why Democracies Collapse: The Reasons for Democratic …
The introduction of federalism can lead to center–periphery struggles that could undermine democracy, as was the case in the American Civil War. This hypothesis runs counter to the small amount of literature that is available on the relationship between …
The Struggle for Democracy - JSTOR
a democracy goes beyond the freedoms of street mobilization or electoral par-ticipation and requires also the build-ing of democratic institutions. What is compelling in DahPs formulation is its maintenance of democracy as a universal concept, rather than a nationalist belief in special conditions for democracy predicat-
The struggle for democracy: Paradoxes of progress and the …
Christopher Meckstroth’s The Struggle for Democracy develops a powerful and persuasive theory of democratic legitimacy, working out the elements through novel readings of Plato’s Socrates, Immanuel Kant, and G.W.F. Hegel and then elaborating this theory through case studies, including the 1848 Revolution in France, the American Civil Rights Move...
Educating for What? The Struggle for Democracy in …
producing a citizenry worthy of a democracy— individuals who are capable of weighing complex matters, of learning as they go from a wide range of sources, and of engaging in critical dialogue and challenges to the status quo.
The Struggle for Democracy 2020 Presidential Election …
The Struggle for Democracy introduces students to political science research that is evidence based, peer reviewed, and bias free so that they have the tools to decode the American political system, analyze its pieces, consider how those pieces interact with one another, and
STRUGGLE FOR NATIONAL DEMOCRACY - WordPress.com
This book is a historical record of the legal struggle for national liberation and democracy against U.S. imperial- ism, feudalism and bureaucrat capitalism in the „60s and early „70s. It was the principal legal study material in discussion groups and schools of national
The Struggle for Democracy in the United States - The …
WILLIAM E. DODD. FOR nearly four years now the world has been engaged in a most desperate struggle-it has developed into a struggle for democracy, and men now talk democracy and equality of opportunity who never before did anything but resist and fight democracy.
Forging a Non-Violent Mass Movement: Economic Shocks …
Forging a Non-Violent Mass Movement: Economic Shocks and Organizational Innovations in India's Struggle for Democracy. Rikhil R. Bhavnani Department of Political Science University of Wisconsin-Madison. Saumitra Jha Graduate School of Business Stanford University. October 29, …
A Leaderless Struggle for Democracy - Freedom House
freedoms in the world’s largest democracy. • Iran: Security forces killed hundreds of people and arrested thousands in a bid to stamp out antigovernment protests, and authorities set a worrying new precedent with a near-complete internet shutdown that suppressed media coverage and ordinary communications during the crisis.
Democracy in Africa: Successes, Failures, and the …
Democracy in Africa: Successes, Failures, and the Struggle for Political Reform has written a fascinating account on the extent African states have moved toward, and away from democracy. Containing six chapters together with introduction and conclusion, the book provides a great in-depth analysis of the history of democracy in Africa.
The Struggle for Democracy in a Changed World - JSTOR
we find that the guardians of world order have sought to establish democracy in one sense of the term, while blocking it in a different sense. There is every reason to expect these dominant themes of modern history to persist under. the changed conditions of the current era.
Otpor and the Struggle for Democracy in Serbia (1998 …
Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic used brutal methods to establish his regime, fanning the flames of Serbian nationalism, leading his country into wars with Croatia and Bosnia, and NATO, and creating a massive internal system of repression while …
THE STRUGGLE FOR DEMOCRACY IN KENYA THROUGH …
This paper traces for discussion, the history of the struggle for democracy through electoral process focusing on the experience of Kenya in order to understand the challenges we need to address as we prepare for the general elections expected later this year (2007).
Robert A. Dahl: Questions, concepts, proving it - Yale University
Feb 25, 2015 · resourceful in creating or tailoring holistic concepts such as ‘democracy’ and ‘power,’ as well as compositional categories such as ‘cumulative’ versus ‘noncumulative’ resources, or ‘participation’ and ‘contestation’ as routes to democratization.
The Struggle for Democracy in Education: Lessons from …
As Apple (2018) writes in the introductory chapter, “The Struggle for Democracy in Education asks us to face these forces and actors, both progressive and retrogressive, and to ask what we can do to ensure that the education that is
Jeffrey Sachs: Gorbachev and the Struggle for Democracy
Gorbachev is Russia’s leading Democrat, yet he is widely reviled inside Russia, neglected in the United States, and unknown to youth around the world. The unheralded fact is that Gorbachev’s commitment to democracy can be felt in all parts of today’s world.
democracy as ideal and democracy as struggle
democracy as ideal and democracy as struggle. Toward Democracy traces a remarkable journey across two continents. Its aim, as the subtitle indicates, is to chart “the struggle for self-rule” in European and American thought. Its scope and erudition are at once imposing and inspiring.
Why Democracies Collapse: The Reasons for Democratic …
The introduction of federalism can lead to center–periphery struggles that could undermine democracy, as was the case in the American Civil War. This hypothesis runs counter to the small amount of literature that is available on the relationship between …
Social Movements, Social Transformation and Struggle for …
May 7, 1988 · Secondly, to focus on the question of popular movements and democracy should not lead to an exercise in abstract model building. Its point is not to search for and devise institutions for popular participation in the manner of the social engineering reminiscent of …
Community, Struggle and Democracy: Marxism and …
the moral concept of freedom, and the related political concept, democracy. Dewey suggests that the forms in which these ideas are presented do not and cannot do justice to the needs of the majority of society's members.
Elections and the Democratic Class Struggle - JSTOR
Struggle is the most complete recent treatment, I will evaluate those ideas in light of a broad literature on the nature of democratic political com-petition, including Arend Lijphart's recent Democracies. This evaluation indicates that the assumptions underlying the democratic class-struggle thesis are implausible.
