Dados is one of the most widely-read social sciences journals in Latin America. Created in 1966, it publishes innovative works, originating from academic research, by Brazilian and foreign authors. Edited by IESP-UERJ, it aims to reconcile scientific rigor and academic excellence with an emphasis on public debate based on the analysis of substantive issues of society and politics.
Dados vol. 54 n. 2 Rio de Janeiro 2011
Abstract
Democracy only became the preferred form of government in the 20th century. The new historical fact that led to the change in preference was the capitalist revolution, which changed the mode of appropriation of the surplus, from violence to themarket. Disappearance of fear of expropriation, the emergence of the middle classes, and pressure from the poor were the second, third, and fourth new historical facts that opened the way for the democratic transition. After these four conditions had been met, universal suffrage was guaranteed. The theory presented here does not predict transitions, since countries rarely become democratic without completely meeting historical conditions, but it does predict democratic consolidation, since no country that has completed its democratic revolution slips back into authoritarianism.
Keywords: democracy, economic development, capitalist revolution
DOI: 10.1590/S0011-52582011000200001
Democratic transition, consolidation and capitalist revolution
Português do Brasil
Español