Democratization

The process through which a political system becomes democratic. One of the goals of U.S. foreign policy is promoting democratization in other countries. Democratic nations historically have not engaged in war with one another; thus, spreading democracy is seen as one way to increase national security. Since World War I, the United States and its allies have attempted to impose democracy on several formerly authoritarian countries. However, the nation's history [Page 195]of promoting and sustaining true democracies abroad is uneven.

Theories of Democratization

The term democracy comes from the Greek words demos (“people”) and kratos (“government”), and means “government by the people.” Although every democracy has its own laws and procedures, all share certain basic features. These include regular election of leaders by the public; universal voting rights for adults; the acceptance of certain basic political rights including the right to vote, the right to run for office, and the right to organize political parties; and the rule of law. This last feature of democracy is particularly important. Rule of law means that the laws are written down and apply to all citizens equally, regardless of position. The opposite of the rule of law is the rule of men, in which the current leaders decide what is legal or illegal and pass or suspend laws as they see fit. These basic features define the political conditions necessary for democracy.

Scholars also have argued that certain social and economic conditions must exist before democracy can develop. Classical democratization theory suggests that democracy is more likely to develop in nations with liberal social ideas and capitalist economic systems. This notion is based largely on the experience of the United States and Western European countries where liberalism, capitalism, and democracy have developed together over the past 300 years. Nevertheless, capitalist economic systems have existed in a number of authoritarian states. For example, despite being an autocratic state ruled by a kaiser (emperor), pre–World War I Germany boasted a flourishing capitalist economy.

Nor does capitalism necessarily ensure the spread of democracy. Nineteenth-century Britain, the world's foremost capitalist power, was racked by political struggles over the question of suffrage, or who was eligible to vote. At the time, the only British subjects who could vote were adult males who owned a certain minimum amount of property. This requirement denied the vote to the majority of citizens, even though Britain considered itself a liberal democracy. Wealthier British subjects tended to mistrust the poor; they believed that only those with a monetary investment in society were qualified to determine how the government should be run. They also feared universal suffrage would lead to mob rule that would sweep aside the privileges of property and wealth.

Despite these and other examples to the contrary, theories of democratization until quite recently have emphasized the link between economic organization and democracy. One of the most influential post–World War II theories, known as correlates of democracy, focuses on the role of the middle class in promoting democratization. Correlates-of-democracy theory argues that industrialization gives rise to a middle class that develops its own economic and political interests separate from those of the nation's leadership. Unlike the poorer masses, however, the middle class has economic power that it can use to force change. This produces clashes between the interests of the middle class and the leadership and spurs the middle class to demand political liberties and democratic rights. The pressure for change eventually overwhelms the existing autocratic government, which is replaced by a democracy based on middle-class interests.

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