Securing Democracy

The new democracies of Mediterranean Europe are assumed to conform to the Western European model of liberal democracy. The transition to democracy, however, can only be gradual and each national democracy is moulded by its own political, social and economic characteristics. The one central thread in the consolidation of democracy in Western Europe is the active role of national political parties. This book focuses on Greece, Spain, Portugal and Italy. It provides the first systematic comparative analysis of Southern Europe's development towards democratic consolidation. These countries have extended the map of pluralist democracies, and their ongoing, differing approaches to securing democracy broaden the political experience of Western Europe.