A Set of Empirical Questions: Comparing Transformative Experiences

In previous chapters, particularly in the last sections of Chapters 2 and 3, the theoretical foundations for dealing with the transformation of hegemonic states were laid down. These foundations will enable us to examine empirically this transformation in the next three chapters. The goal is to use the distinctions introduced in the previous chapters as a guide for examining a series of cases included in these chapters.

There are several major theoretical questions, observations, and distinctions that must be given special attention in examining specific historical and contemporary cases of transformation from hegemonic to pluralistic systems. First, there are two questions in regard to the factors producing the transformation of the system:

1. From an internal perspective, to what extent has systemic transformation occurred in the political system as a result of violence or as a result of nonviolent pressures? If significant violence or the threat of violence did not play a role in transforming a political system, what factors (e.g., public opinion, economic trends) have?

2. From an external perspective, to what extent has systemic transformation occurred due to outside pressures (e.g., international sanctions and threats, globalizing economic developments, the expectations of world public opinion)? Have pressures from the broader environment been crucial in producing a change?