Assessing the Transition

Abstract

The transition in Paraguay began at a propitious time for democratisation in Latin America. From 1979 to 1991, thirteen military regimes in the region were replaced by elected, civilian governments (Mainwaring, 1992). This was due not only to the growth of domestic pressures for democratic reform, but in contrast to past Latin American experience it coincided with a favourable international context for democracy, both on a regional and on a hemispheric level. The result was the collapse of authoritarian governments and the emergence of democratic regimes in almost all Latin American countries. Perhaps prematurely, events in Latin America were seen as part of a worldwide democratic revolution, ‘an almost irresistible global tide moving on from one triumph to the next’ (Huntington, 1991a: 30).