Democratization is defined as the movement from a less democratic political regime to a more democratic type of political regime. This may include the movement from a semi authoritarian political system to a democratic political system or from an authoritarian regime to a full democracy. The outcome might be consolidated or democratization may face frequent reversals. Different types of democratization are sometimes utilized to provide an explanation of other political occurrences, such as whether a country’s economy grows or whether it goes to a war. Democratization is itself influenced by numerous factors, including civil society, history, and economic development.
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.
