Os Cangaceiros
13th April 2011, 00:34
People always discuss this topic as it relates to events in Eastern Europe and the fUSSR. But I thought this excerpt from a book I read was interesting:
Parallel to the events in Eastern Europe, a process of democratic reform ran it's course in Latin America, Africa and Asia. By the beginning of the 1980's, most Latin American countries were under some form of military rule; by 1992, all except two had elected heads of state. As late as the beginning of 1989, thirty-eight out of forty-five African countries were under military rule or one-party regimes, and in the opinion of a prominent Africanist writing at the time, "it is unlikely that new African democracies will be created in the coming years." Within a few short years, thirty-one African countries had become multi-party states with elected assemblies. Similar pressures for democratic reform were mounting in Asia, from the overthrow of the Marcos regime in the Phillipines in 1986, via the first free elections in South Korea and Taiwan in 1987, to the democratic risings in China and Thailand in 1989 and 1992.
I was just wondering if anyone feels like discussing these events, what led to them, and their implications.
Parallel to the events in Eastern Europe, a process of democratic reform ran it's course in Latin America, Africa and Asia. By the beginning of the 1980's, most Latin American countries were under some form of military rule; by 1992, all except two had elected heads of state. As late as the beginning of 1989, thirty-eight out of forty-five African countries were under military rule or one-party regimes, and in the opinion of a prominent Africanist writing at the time, "it is unlikely that new African democracies will be created in the coming years." Within a few short years, thirty-one African countries had become multi-party states with elected assemblies. Similar pressures for democratic reform were mounting in Asia, from the overthrow of the Marcos regime in the Phillipines in 1986, via the first free elections in South Korea and Taiwan in 1987, to the democratic risings in China and Thailand in 1989 and 1992.
I was just wondering if anyone feels like discussing these events, what led to them, and their implications.