What are the major obstacles to democracy in the third world?

Social structures and interaction between social groups has been promoted by Moore who sees democracy arriving out of revolution rather than reconciliation. In simpler terms democracy is more likely to come about from a society where, for example, the monarchy checks the nobility and the aristocracy goes into commerce. (Pinkney, 1993). We can see this in states that have traditionally had monarches or upper-class imposed hierarchy ruling, who are more likely to adjust to the political requirements of democracy once the authoritarian regime is over run. This is portrayed in the writings of Huntington in 1984, 'Countries that have had a relatively stable authoritarian rule (such as Spain and Portugal) are more likely to evolve into relatively stable democracies than other countries which have regular oscillated between despotism and democracy....A broad consensus accepting authoritarian norms is displaced by a broad consensus on acceptance of democratic ones'. The main problem with this in terms of the third world is that many third world states are socially and religiously split. This is one of the many burdens left by decolonization, for example within each state of Africa it is possible to see a number of tribes or mixtures of Christianity and Islam, where they were all put together to live as one by colonial powers. This has left many ethnic minorities making the job of ruling fairly, very difficult and cases of more or less support for some groups over others.

Political institutions are said to play a key role when introducing democracy to a state, this is because of the capacity of the political system to divert and stifle hostility, without being induced to authoritarianism or disorder. Heper (1991) argues that one of the strengths of his approach (through political institutions) is that democratic evolution is seen in a broad historical perspective, instead of being explored from the starting point of conflict within the previous authoritarian regime. This enforces the idea of needing a stable or strong backdrop both socially and economically developing in order for democracy to survive. In particular pressure groups and political parties play an important role in which to negotiate and appease public requirements, without compromise. Unfortunately within the third world, there are very few educated to a high enough level to organise these groups, and without these groups as said above the job of being heard becomes harder. Until third world nations catch onto this notion of working together and in unison it is very unlikely their hopes or fears will be heard or responded to.

The other four conditions are maybe not as essential as the ones formerly deliberated but nevertheless worthy of being briefly discussed. Political attitudes and behaviour runs alongside social structures and interaction between social groups. This is because attitudes and behaviour towards politics are often shaped by social circumstances, leading to similar consequences in terms of third world states. Inter-elite relations can be thought of as important because when elites agree or disagree it subsequently determines if there is going to be a union or division within the system. It is argued that a union of elites will lessen the risk of national divisions. The initial drawback of using this method is it proves difficult to ascertain elite opinions. It is believed that democracy is simple to achieve if political contention establishes broad interest and gradually works through disputes regarding the role of the state, showing sequences in development. Lastly is external influences. These are important more so for the effect they will have indirectly through things such as, applying sanctions (IMF), foreign governments and market forces. It is said that these forces are more likely to cripple a democracy rather than effect its development.

From the arguments gathered above it is possible to see the most prominent adversities to developing democracy in the third world. The conditions required to reach democratic ruling show just how far the third world actually is to reaching this stage in the development process. We have learnt that democracy is not a natural force but a modern way of ruling that incorporates modern ideas of equality and human rights. I believe it is visible that economic development is the main obstacle of the third world from the information above as it effects the chances of third world states meeting other requirements necessary to obtaining a democratic system. Due to the effects of colonisation much of the third worlds social structure has been affected by divisions and ethnic minorities within individual states. This makes it difficult for democracy to achieve fair and equal ruling that would be beneficial for the many social groups within a society.

Bibliography

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Calvert and Calvert, (2001), Politics and Society in the third world (London: Longman)

Haynes, J. (1996), Third World Politics: A Concise Introduction (Oxford: Blackwell                                   Publishers Ltd)

Heper, M. (1991), Transitions to Democracy Reconsidered, in K. P. Erickson (eds)                                   Comparitive Political Dynamics (London: Harper Collins)

Huntington, S. P. (1984) Will more countries become democratic? (Political Science                          Quarterly)

Kamrava, M. (1993), Politics and Society in the Third World (London: Routledge)

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