Modernization Theory Of Democracy Essay

Democracy is a well-known system that has its origin in Greece where everyone used to gather and talk about the issues of the country and vote by raising their hands. At that time only men had the right to vote.

Nowadays, democracy is more developed and modernized than before and is still at the heart of the political and sociological debates. In general, a democratic country is characterized by the right of its people to choose its rulers through competitive elections, respect of the law, and the guarantee of people’s rights. Those are the basics of democracy, but many authors and political scientists have varying observations and definitions of it. However, a country does not automatically become a democracy; it has to go through many obstacles

Many researchers assume that modernization and democracy are directly linked, as modernization is what provokes democracy or the other way around. It is a controversial subject that deserves thorough analysis. The modernization theory was the product of many years of research. Indeed, in 1950, the theory was based on the ideology of the transition from a traditional society to a modern society. Here the development was seen as a global process where countries followed the model of modernized and developed countries that had already succeeded. This theory was mostly focused on the formal economy and the importance of industrialization that is essential for development and modernity. The theory rejected the traditional view as well as anything related to the past. All that mattered was progress. Thus, it can be analyzed through different points of views: sociological, political and economical. The political modernization theory focuses on the political changes that occur within the transition. For example there is an American political scientist (Gabriel Almond) who wrote a book called “Introduction to the Politics of Developing Areas“ (1957) where he explained the political modernity. He argued that in order to achieve a modernization in politics, the country needs to be a democracy with the presence of many parties. He also insisted on the role of the state

Tilly argued that the state aptitude has a major impact on democratization. If the capacity of the state is too high, it can be used for authoritarian purposes, but if it is too low, a civil war can be triggered. Therefore, democratization stems from the middle of the two extremes.

Charles Tilly also states several factors that can help endorse democratization. He argued that anything that can enhance and raise social networks will enable democratization and social movements to occur. For example: an increase in demography or an advance in technology.

Furthermore, according to him, democratization by itself encourages social movements by first expanding and equalizing its citizens’ rights as well as raising individual’s protections. He took the example of the apartheid and its “anti-apartheid movement” which played a part in the democratization of the country in 1994.

He also states that social movement alone endorses democracy when it already exists, because it allows people to assemble in support of a cause, reduces the different inequalities in public policies, and enlarges the range of