Stability and Democratization: A Spanish Model?

The purpose of this work is to analyze the relevant literature on democratization to determine which factors within a society contribute to an understanding of stability in a transition from authoritarian rule. While paying particular attention to case-specific historical characteristics and focusing on the importance of factor interaction, this work adds to the field of comparative democratization literature on transitional stability by facilitating comprehension through the creation of factor groupings: social, economic and political. The case of Spain is studied in detail because of the possible insight that may be gained by examining a transition from authoritarianism that overcame many destabilizing factors and ended in the apparent success of democratic consolidation. Although after a harmonized analysis of social, economic and political factors a Spanish Model of Democratization proves impossible to derive, many characteristics and processes of that specific transition can help other states progress along a learning curve of democracy, thus facilitating meaningful consolidation.