Colonial Origins of Democracy and Dictatorship

Why are some countries more democratic than others? Analyzes a global sample of colonies to explain countries' different experiences.

Alexander Lee (Author), Jack Paine (Author)

9781009423533, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 30 May 2024

320 pages
23.5 x 16.2 x 2.3 cm, 0.62 kg

'The book offers a powerful and persuasive argument about the enduring influence of such institutions; it convincingly explains why democracy emerged and persisted in some parts of the non-European world, while faltering in others. It is an essential read for scholars of comparative politics, particularly those researching democratization and international development, as well as practitioners interested in understanding the enduring effects of colonial rule on democratic governance.' Shagun Gupta, International Affairs

Why are some countries more democratic than others? For most non-European countries, elections began under Western colonial rule. However, existing research largely overlooks these democratic origins. Analyzing a global sample of colonies across four centuries, this book explains the emergence of colonial electoral institutions and their lasting impact. The degree of democracy in the metropole, the size of the white settler population, and pressure from non-Europeans all shaped the timing and form of colonial elections. White settlers and non-white middle classes educated in the colonizer's language usually gained early elections but settler minorities resisted subsequent franchise expansion. Authoritarian metropoles blocked elections entirely. Countries with lengthy exposure to competitive colonial institutions tended to consolidate democracies after independence. By contrast, countries with shorter electoral episodes usually shed democratic institutions and countries that were denied colonial elections consolidated stable dictatorships. Regime trajectories shaped by colonial rule persist to the present day.

1. Introduction
2. A theory of colonial electoral institutions
3. Representation in settler colonies through 1850
4. Imperial expansion and restrictive elections: 1850–1945
5. Mass franchise expansion after 1945
6. Postcolonial persistence
7. Conclusion
Appendix: data and regression
Bibliography.

Subject Areas: Comparative politics [JPB]