[One Thousand Characters a Day] The Politics of Citizens <2>

Editor's NoteAre you progressive or conservative? Most people are likely to answer moderate. This is because in our society, people are very reluctant to openly reveal their political orientation. Then what does moderate mean? Most would hesitate to answer or say they do not support any political party. In fact, we have never properly learned about politics nor deeply contemplated it. We simply recognize certain parties as progressive or conservative. Ultimately, we cannot define or explain our own political orientation. By exploring the basic theories of political science?political systems, political thought, political institutions, and international politics?through Citizens' Political Science, you will gain at least the minimum tools to gauge real-world politics. Word count: 1025.

Globally, the wave of democratization is ongoing. A key figure in the global spread of democracy is American political scientist Samuel Huntington. The waves of democratization he proposed refer to transitions from non-democratic regimes to democratic systems in multiple countries during specific periods. During this process, the number of democratic regimes rapidly increased from 30 in 1973 to 59 in 1990.

The first wave lasted from 1828 to 1926, during which countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Canada, and the Netherlands established at least minimal democratic systems. In this period, universal suffrage expanded in Western societies. In the U.S., all white men immediately benefited. Women gained full voting rights in the 1920s, and Black people achieved full suffrage in 1965. However, from 1922 to 1942, there was a backlash in countries like Germany and Italy, where democratic systems were overthrown. Fascist, communist, and military dictatorship regimes spread across Europe, causing democratic regression except in the UK and the U.S.

The second wave, from 1943 to 1962, saw the revival of democratic systems in the West and the acceptance of democracy by newly established democratic countries such as India, Israel, Japan, and West Germany. This wave was adopted mainly by U.S. allies after World War II and economic recovery was achieved through U.S. aid. Some countries experienced military coups and returns to authoritarianism during this period, while Israel and India consolidated their democracies.

The third wave, from 1974 to 1991, involved the collapse of authoritarian and socialist regimes and the spread of democracy in Southern Europe, Eastern Europe, and South America. In 1970, right-wing dictatorships ended in Greece, Portugal, and Spain. In the 1980s, military regimes withdrew in South American countries, and by the late 1980s, socialist regimes in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe collapsed. In South Korea, the June 10 Democratic Uprising and the June 29 Declaration in 1987 are considered part of this democratization wave. The U.S. encouraged the introduction of democratic systems with the end of the Cold War, and Southern and Eastern European countries implemented democratic consolidation to join the European Union (EU). However, democratic consolidation did not occur in other regions such as South America and Africa.

－Im Chunhan, Citizens' Political Science, Pakyoungsa, 23,000 KRW