Introduction: From Democratization to Autocratization

Abstract

Autocratization, that is, regime change opposite to democratization, is a relevant phenomenon of the current historical phase. With a focus on the post-Cold War period, the authors try to get a better understanding of this phenomenon, from both a conceptual and empirical viewpoint. This introductory chapter reviews the literature, and illustrates how the monograph is organized. The authors trace the recent renaissance of autocratization studies, following years of neglect. However, they also identify two important gaps in the under-specification of the notion of regime change opposite to democratization, and in the analysis of how these regime transitions unfold. Accordingly, what autocratization is, what prevailing forms autocratization takes in the post-Cold War period, and how contemporary processes of autocratization happen are the main questions that this book addresses.