Transition (political science)

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Transition (from Latin transitio , dt. Transition , noun to transire , to go over ) describes the change or exchange of a political system : As a rule, it is understood as the system change from authoritarian regimes to democracies . The term transition in the political context emerged from the emergence of transition research in the course of the so-called third wave of democratization after 1974, especially in connection with Spain's transition from the Franco dictatorship to a democratic system (→  Transición ).

In the field of political science, terms such as system or regime change and transformation are largely synonymous with “transition” , where for the most part the same subject is defined with partly different terminology; more recently, the term z. B. through the Transition Towns movement (after the English transition , German transition, change ) gained in importance and spread.

trigger

A transition begins with the replacement of the previous regime and can follow three different patterns:

Transition mode Gradient pattern Examples
controlled transition
also : transformation (Huntington), reforma (Linz) 		old regime elites initiate system changes and largely control its further course Chile , Taiwan
forced transition
also : replacement (Huntington), ruptura (Linz) 		Opposition groups overthrow old regime elites and decisively determine the further course of the system change Portugal , GDR
Negotiated transition
also : transplacement (Huntington), ruptforma (Linz) 		old regime elites and opposition groups negotiate system change and together shape its further course Spain , Poland

Transition theory in the narrower sense

The transition theory in the narrower sense, which describes the transition from an authoritarian regime to a democratic system, was obtained on the basis of empirical studies.

"According to [...] the transition theory, the state class splits under the pressure of organized resistance into 'hardliners' and 'softliners'. If the reform-ready 'softliners' succeed in neutralizing the veto potential of the orthodox 'hardliners' and if those willing to negotiate can prevail within the organized resistance, then constitutional and political pacts will become possible.

This general pattern is specifically broken when it comes to a partial state - as in the GDR and, in the future, North Korea - because the system opposition cannot and cannot negotiate the takeover of power on its own. If the organized resistance succeeds in disempowering the communist elite through delegitimation, it has already triumphed. In this case the attainable already exists. The existing better alternative is always good enough for most. There is no need to try anything better, because the most urgent need of the majority is security against relapse into old structures. - The 'softliners' in the communist functional elite also know this, so they orient themselves more towards the rulers of the state into which the state is integrated than towards the system opposition. In this case, she can only be the negotiating partner for a short time. [...]

If the organized resistance succeeds in mass demonstrations, the goal is almost achieved. When the demonstrators, shouting “We are the people!”, Denied all legitimation to the power elite, the defensive readiness of the power apparatus also died. When the resistance of the masses could not be broken by "dialogue" offers by the rulers, the system was overcome and the way to state unity was open. "

course

Transition research divides the transition period into three phases:

  • the end of the authoritarian regime,
  • the institutionalization of democracy as well
  • the political consolidation of democracy.

The transition is considered complete with the holding of democratic elections, regardless of the existence of any democratic defects .

Use of terms

See also

literature

  • Arndt Hopfmann, Michael Wolf (Ed.): Transformation Theory. Status, deficits, perspectives (=  political sociology. Vol. 13). Lit Verlag, Münster / Hamburg / London 2001, ISBN 3-8258-5336-5 .
  • Samuel P. Huntington : How Countries Democratize. In: Political Science Quarterly. 106/4, 1991, pp. 579-616.
  • Juan J. Linz : Transitions to Democracy. In: The Washington Quarterly. 13/3, 1990, pp. 143-164.
  • Wolfgang Merkel : System Transformation. An introduction to the theory and empiricism of transformation research. 2nd Edition. VS Verlag, Wiesbaden 2010, ISBN 3-531-14559-2 .
  • Wolfgang Merkel (Ed.): System change. 5 vols. Leske + Budrich, Opladen 1994-2000, DNB 941493695 .
  • Wolfgang Merkel: Transformation of Political Systems. In: Herfried Münkler (Ed.): Political Science. A basic course. Rowohlt, Reinbek bei Hamburg 2003, ISBN 3-499-55648-0 , pp. 207–245 (for introduction).
  • Wolfgang Merkel, Peter Thiery: System change. In: Hans-Joachim Lauth (Ed.): Comparative Government. An introduction. 3. Edition. VS Verlag, Wiesbaden 2010, ISBN 3-531-17309-X , pp. 186-212 (for introduction).
  • Philipp Christoph Schmädeke: Political regime change: Fundamentals of transition research. A. Francke Verlag, Tübingen / Basel 2012, ISBN 3-825-23751-6 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ See Samuel P. Huntington: The Third Wave. Democratization in the Late Twentieth Century. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman 1991, ISBN 0-8061-2516-0 .
  2. ↑ See Wolfgang Merkel: System Transformation. An introduction to the theory and empiricism of transformation research. 2nd edition, VS Verlag, Wiesbaden 2010, p. 66.
  3. ↑ Oliver Kloss : The treatment of the East German power elites in the course of German reunification. Presentation to the International Conference of the Korean-German Society for Sociology and the Korean Institute for National Association on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, Dongguk University in Seoul 2009, p. 12 ( PDF; 1.6 MB ).