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Liberal moments and democracy’s durability: Comparing global outbreaks of democracy—1918, 1945, 1989

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Conclusion

Liberal Moments are constructed by ideational as well as more materials phenomena; by the crisis situations of war, the moments of peace that follow, and the liberal norms at play at each junsture. Understanding Liberal Moments is crucial to understanding the development of the international syaytem in the 20th century and the prospects for democracy or dictatorship across polities. These Moments have been times of heady enthusiasm, when the most liberal ambitions of key actors in the world community have been put forward. The patterns and extent of their unraveling are key indicators of the character of national politics thereafter.

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  1. Department of Political Science, University of Delaware, 347 Smith Hall, 19716, Newark, DE

    Daniel M. Green

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Daniel M. Green is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science and International Relations at the University of Delaware. His writings have appeared inDemocratization, Governance, Humboldt Journal of Social Research, and theReview of African Political Economy. He is currently finishing a book on the politics of economic reform in Ghana and editing a volume entitledConstructivist Comparative Politics: Theoretical Issues and Case Studies.

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Green, D.M. Liberal moments and democracy’s durability: Comparing global outbreaks of democracy—1918, 1945, 1989. St Comp Int Dev 34, 83–120 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02687605

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