The best transition to the liberal democracy

[buritobr]

Some transitions from an authoritarian regime to a liberal democratic regime take place after a military defeat, other transitions take place after a revolution, other transitions take place when the authoritarian regime agree to do it.
Which transition was the best one?

In the list, there are the dates when the transition started and when the liberal democratic regime was consolidated. The dates might not be exact.

[President Johnson]

Germany. Full democracy just few years after the most horrendous, criminal and despicable regime in human history.

[HillGoose]

Iraq

[OSR stands with Israel]

Germany. Full democracy just few years after the most horrendous, criminal and despicable regime in human history.

This though Japan is a close 2nd because it was an extremely terrible and evil dictatorship as well and then it became a democracy in a few years too .


Germany though fully apologized for their actions in WW2 unlike Japan so I would say Germany’s transition was good but Japan’s was good too.

[VPH]

Portugal! A largely bloodless military coup led to decolonization, the military eventually stepping aside, and the formation of a progressive state that continued to liberalize.

[brucejoel99]

Yeah, probably Germany.

[PSOL]

South Africa managed to completely dismantle most of the old regime compared to most of these examples.

[Obama-Biden Democrat]

Tunisia after the Arab Spring. They are the only member of the Arab World that is a democracy. We should be ending the Turkish-EU talks, and invite Tunisia instead. In the Roman days, North Africa was a integral part of Western civilization. The EU and North Africa should work on strengthening those old bonds.

[Kingpoleon]

I’m not sure Indonesia even counts as a liberal democracy.

[VPH]

Tunisia after the Arab Spring. They are the only member of the Arab World that is a democracy. We should be ending the Turkish-EU talks, and invite Tunisia instead. In the Roman days, North Africa was a integral part of Western civilization. The EU and North Africa should work on strengthening those old bonds.

Tunisia is a great example of the role civil society can play in smoothing transitions. Trade unions were essential to the transfer of power!

[Peanut]

Out of these, I'd agree with Germany.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

I went with Poland, but it was a very tough decision. There's loads of good options.

[Starry Eyed Jagaloon]

I went with Poland, but it was a very tough decision. There's loads of good options.

Really? Spain shows how to do a pacted transition right, Poland...doesn't. It established remarkably weak institutions which cause it trouble today.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

I went with Poland, but it was a very tough decision. There's loads of good options.

Really? Spain shows how to do a pacted transition right, Poland...doesn't. It established remarkably weak institutions which cause it trouble today.

the process by which the commies getting turfed went quite well. The trouble began afterwards, not during, the transition. Post-commies got back in 5 years later thanks to Welesa being less than ideal in office; but I excluded this from the equation.

[morgieb]

South Africa managed to completely dismantle most of the old regime compared to most of these examples.

Hard to really call what the ANC are doing a completely liberal democracy, though.

[PSOL]

South Africa managed to completely dismantle most of the old regime compared to most of these examples.

Hard to really call what the ANC are doing a completely liberal democracy, though.

With every f•••up by the ANC, the party sheds factions and leaders get quashed if they rock things too much. After apartheid there is private press, private property, liberal laws on individuals, multiple parties that could replace one another if they were competent, and global connectivity. It is no doubt a liberalism is what can be described as running SA.

[Lechasseur]

Hard to say, there are several good contenders.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Probably Czecoslovakia. It was called the Velvet Revolution for a reason.

I have a lot of admiration for the first De Gasperi government and the Constituent Assembly, and I think they both did an excellent job, but holding it up as a model might be a little too far. I also love the aesthetics of the Carnation Revolution, but that doesn't make the reality of it always pleasant.

As usual, Germany gets far more credit than it deserves on Atlas.

[buritobr]

The three major Axis powers, after three horrible regimes, in few years became democratic and they had economic prosperity. They are sucess cases.

However, there are some questions. In Japan, the same party (liberal democrats) stayed in the power from 1950 to 1993. If it is the will of the majority of the people to have the same party in the power for many years, this is not contradictory to the liberal democracy. The social democrats stayed in the power in Sweden from 1932 to 1976. But there are examples of flawed democracies in which the same party stay many years in the power: PRI in Mexico.

In Germany and Italy, there was a long christian democrat dominance, but there was no sign of flawed democracy.