The Impact of the Military on Peru's Predemocritization

Description

The purpose of this study is to consider what kinds of factors must be taken into account when analyzing the impact of military rule on redemocratization in Latin America. Karen Remmer proposes that by looking at five factors which she has identified, it is possible to accurately predict whether there will be greater or lesser change in a returning democratic system. By applying Remmer's approach to the experiences of the 1968-1980 Peruvian military regimes one should be able to assess the strengths and weaknesses of Remmer's ideas. The results of this study indicate that although a number of important factors relating to changes in Peruvian democracy are identified by Remmer, these alone cannot account for the degree of regime discontinuity seen in Peru. In applying Remmer's thesis to Peru, one discovers that several countryspecific features must play a crucial role in our understanding of Peru's current democratic party system despite Remmer's failure to recognize their importance. ACKNOW L E D G M E N T S.................................. v . LIST OF T A B L E S .................................. vi . A B S T R A C T ........................................ vii. INTRODUCTION .......................................... 2 CHAPTER I. APPROACHES TO DEMOCRATIZATION .......... 7 CHAPTER II. APPLYING A THEORY OF REDDEMOCRATIZATION TO P E R U ..................................... 27 CHAPTER III. THE IMPACT OF AUTHORITARIAN RULE ON DEMOCRACY IN PERU: AN ASSESSMENT OF REMMER'S THESIS ......................... 50 C O N C L U S I O N ............................................67 BIBLIOGRAPHY 70