Development of democracies has often been a violent, slow process which has often been marked by frequent and numerous reversals. The English Civil War took place between 1642 and 1651 in Great Britain between the King and an elected Parliament. The Restoration and the Protectorate then restored a more dominating type of rule. Next, The Glorious Revolution (1688) then established a strong Parliament. However, only with the Representation of the People Act (1884) did the majority of the males get the right to vote.

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.