Laura Tedesco, professor of the Institute for Political Science at St. Louis University, Madrid, held a public lecture on March 18th at PPCU on the transition to democracy in the Latin-American region. Numerous students visited the lecture and some of our professors represented our institute as well.
As it was highlighted, the democratic transition started in the 1970s. Although the engine of this process varied through the countries, there were factors which generally supported the fall of authoritarian regimes (civil societies' initiatives, political collapse, external pressure) .
In the 1980s we talk about a temporary recoiling of the transition. Due to the oil crises in 1973 the interest rates increased and the external debt also caused serious problems. This debt affected the political decision-making processes as well as the policies. That time decision was made ,among others, on the import substituting industrialisation, and the role of the state also became part of the political discourse.
The most significant point of the democratisation is the implementation of the Washington Consensus, which boosted the process. The consensus aimed at the reduction of the fiscal debt and encouraged foreign investments. Liberalisation and privatisation were also significant elements of the programme. The final goal was macroeconomic stability strengthened with low inflation rates. Moreover, the integration of the region into the global economy was also a highly promoted aspect. However, the lecturer turned the lights on the disadvantages and challenges of the consensus, like the growing social inequality, poverty, the problem of emerging informal markets or the rising unemployment rates.
After discussing the theoretical background of the transition, Ms. Tedesco showed two practical examples in order to understand two different reactions to the collapse of a regime. While in Argentina the main aim was to prosecute and punish, in Chile punishment played only marginal role. There Pinochet was eliminated from power with a referendum.
The results of the '90s were twofold. First, the economic reforms, the consolidation of democracy and the spread of neo-liberalism had very positive impact on the democratisation process. However, social desintegration and inequality seemed to be huge problems for the future.
The above mentioned tendency continued in the 2000s, when we can see different orientation of the countries. While the Andok group countries are social democrats, the southern region seems to be open to radical left ideologies. Although the big financial crises was properly handled, it definitely weakened to position of the region on the global stage. Nevertheless, Brazil started it's career as a regional superpower, that has huge influence on other Latin-American countries, too. China as a global partner also affects the foreign trade and political relations in the near future.
As a conclusion the lecturer called our attention to the present situation of the region and the challenges that must be solved (eg. social inequality, drug trafficking, the role of the US).
After this thought provoking lecture, the audience could get a brief but very informative insight into the Latin-American region and it's relations concerning democracy. Questions and comments from the students showed that this topic certainly called our attention to a really relevant field which certainly worth further reading and research.
Anita Szirota, International Studies MA
