Scholarly Commons

Survival of the Fittest: Authoritarian Regime Survival During the Third Wave of Democratization in Latin America

Democracy reached its peak in 2005, when 46 per cent of states in the world were ranked as “Free” while only 23% were ranked as “Not Free”, representing a potential culmination of a successful wave of democratization. The cyclical alternation between democratic and authoritarian regimes has beginnings in 1828, and subsequently resulted in three defined waves of democratization. The third wave of democratization had a large impact on what we now consider the Third World or developing countries in Latin America and Asia. By looking at variables such as regime type, legislative elections and parties, economic growth, and foreign aid this research will focus on survival of Latin America and seeks to understand why and how these factors contribute authoritarian survival during waves of democratization. Ultimately, hoping to gain insight on the current position of democracy and authoritarianism in the region today.