Democracy Over the Ages

Toke S. Aidt

Cambridge Working Papers in Economics from Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge

Abstract: This chapter explores the process of democratization throughout history, examining how modern democratic governance gradually emerged and evolved. It reviews key theoretical frameworks, such as bottom-up and top-down democratization theories. The chapter emphasizes the role of international interdependencies and highlights how economic integration, international trade, diffusion of democratic ideas and of contention, and external threats and foreign interventions shape political transitions across countries. By examining multiple waves of democratization, the chapter provides insights into how both domestic and international factors contributed to the global spread of democracy and to democratic reversals.

Keywords: Democratization; Constitutional Bargaining; Threat of Revolution; International Diffusion; Economic Integration; External Threats; Foreign Intervention (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-09-02
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cam:camdae:2674

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