Democratic Transitions: Are There Recipes for Success?

Abstract

In transitioning to democracy, rationalists assume that either the masses or the elites bring about change. This paper hypothesises that there is a causal relationship between the actors involved in social change and the end product the progress of democratic transition and whether revolution from below or from above is more likely to bring about the transition. By examining Pacting Theory as a democratic transition theory, this paper will analyse the role of the military in Egypts democratisation process. The interplay of the military powers and relinquishing those powers to a civilian government will have implications for social movements theory and the approaches to democratic transition theory.