It has been said that the expansion of various typed of liberal economic reforms has had numerous effects on democratization. It has also been argued that some democratic institutions have been disciplined or constrained in an effort to satisfy international capital markets or to help facilitate the global flow of trade.

Books have been written in which a global democratization trend in the world post World War II (WW II) is defined. This global democratization was defined as three types of democratization which have occurred throughout history. The first type brought democracy to North America and Western Europe in the 19th century. This was followed by an increase in the number of dictatorships in between the war periods. The second type began after WW II, but lost steam between 1962 and again in the mid 1970s. The latest type began in 1974 and is still going on. Democratization of post Communist countries in Eastern Europe and in Latin America is part of the third type of wave.

A very good example of a region which passed through all the three waves of democratization is the Middle East. During the 15th century it was a part of the Ottoman Empire. In the 19th century, the empire finally collapsed and near the end of the World War I (WWI) and the Western armies eventually moved in to occupy the region. This was an act of both a state building order and of European expansion in order to democratize the region. However, it has been argued that the ethnic divisions are complicating the U.S. effort to bring democracy to Iraq. This raises some interesting questions concerning the role of the combined domestic and foreign factors in the process of democratization. In addition, it has been said that such as orientalist is the predominantly Western concept of the intrinsic incompatibility between Islam and democratic values. Moreover, North Africa and the Middle East lack the prerequisites of democratization.

There is considerable debate about the factors which ultimately limit or even affect democratization. A great many things, including history, culture, and economics have often been cited as impacting on the process.

A higher gross domestic product per capita seems to correlate with democracy and it seems the wealthiest democracies never fall into the trap of authoritarianism. There is also the general observation that democracy was very rare before the industrial revolution; Education. Wealth also correlates with education, though their effects on democratic consolidation appear to be independent.

People who are better educated seem to share more pro democratic and liberal views. Conversely, an illiterate and poorly educated population tends to elect populist politicians who it seems soon forget about democracy and wind up becoming dictators although there may have been free elections; Capitalism. Some claim that capitalism and democracy are linked intrinsically. This belief generally centers on the idea that capitalism and democracy are simply two different aspects of freedom; Social equality. It has been argued that the relationship between democratic transition and social equality should be nonlinear; Middle class. According to some models, the existence of a substantial body of citizens who are of intermediate wealth seem to be able to exert a stabilizing influence which allows democracy to flourish; Civil society. A healthy society is considered by some theorists to be important for democratization, as they give people a unity and a common purpose, and a social network through which to organize and challenge the power of the state hierarchy; Civic culture. Comprehensive studies of civic cultures have resulted in findings that a certain civic culture is necessary for the survival of democracy; Culture. It is claimed by some that certain cultures are simply more conductive to democratic values than others; Emancipative Values and Human Empowerment. It is generally accepted that democratization is the result of a broader process of human development, which empowers ordinary people in a certain sequence; Homogeneous population. Some believe that a country which is deeply divided, whether by language, religion or ethnic group, have difficulty establishing a working democracy; Previous experience with democracy. Some believe that foreign involvement in democratization is a crucial factor in its success or failure, and; Age distribution. Countries which have a higher degree of elderly people seem to be able to maintain democracy once it has evolved. These factors explain why there is so much debate about which of them affects democratization.

The debate continues.

The United States was created during The American Revolutionary War (1775 to 1783). It was an ideological success in many fields in that a relatively true republic had been established which did not have even a single dictator. However slavery was not abolished until the American Civil War (1861 to 1865) and it was the 1960s before Civil Rights were finally given to African Americans.

The French Revolution (1789) briefly allowed a wide franchise. The Napoleonic and the French Revolutionary Wars lasted for more than twenty years. The French Directory was more oligarchic. The Bourbon Restoration and the First French Empire restored a more autocratic rule. The Second French Republic endured universal male suffrage; however, it was soon followed with the Second French Empire. The French Third Republic was the result of the Franco Prussian War (1870 to 1871).

The German Empire was created in 1871. It was followed by the Weimer Republic after World War I. Nazi Germany was restored to autocratic rule before its defeat in World War II.

After the unification of Italy in 1861, The Kingdom of Italy was a constitutional monarchy in which the King had the majority of power. After World War I (WW I), Italian fascism created a dictatorship. World War II (WW II) resulted in the Italian Republic.

After 1868, The Meiji period started the modernization of Japan. The introduction democratic reforms that were somewhat limited came next. The Taisho period of 1912 to 1926 saw even more reforms. The start of the Showa period marked a reversal of this trend until the end of WW II.

In the countries where dictatorships have fallen, nonviolent civic resistance was the strongest influence the majority of the time. In these transitions, changes were only catalyzed rarely through elite volunteer driven reforms and not at all through foreign invasion, but rather by civil society organizations which used nonviolent actions and mass protests such as civil disobedience, boycotts, strikes, and civil resistance.