War and Democratization in Europe
Abstract
The role of international war in the first wave of democratization is the theme of Chapter 8. Scholars have long noted an increase in franchise extensions during wars, and political economists have recently formalized this insight. Still, there is a prevailing view in the literature that international war – particularly WWI – merely hastened the ultimate success of prewar democratization efforts. I argue that international war was not the final straw for the old regime but rather was one of only a small category of exogenous events capable of dislodging a resilient system of competitive oligarchy.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Political Conflict and Governance
Political Theory and Democracy
European Political History Analysis
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Cambridge University Press eBooks
- Pages
- 250–289
- Publication date
- 6 March 2026
- Language
- EN
- Document type
- Book chapter