Suchergebnisse

South Korea's 2007 presidential elections marked a watershed in the country's democratic development, an event that came about on the force of four key developments. First, turn-taking in governance has turned political figures and factions into "responsible stakeholders." Second, the inclusion of leftists and progressives has produced a flexible, open, and liberal political system. Third, "elite pact-making" between various political factions and figures has smoothed transitions between governments with radically different ideological orientations. Finally, even major internal and external shocks contributed to the consolidation of the democratic system each time they were successfully overcome.

Examines the implications of the 2007 presidential elections in South Korea for the "consolidation" of democratic development. Skepticism regarding the nation's potential for succeeding at such development following its initial transition to democracy in 1987, supported by major ideological & policy swings & political violence, is summarized. The victory of opposition candidate Lee Myung Bak in 2007 brought the conservative Grand National Party (GNP) back into power after two successive progressive governments; governmental functioning under each of Bak's 5 predecessors since 1980 is compared, highlighting shifts in ideology, campaign discourse, & the role of elite political pacts. Major "shocks" to the fledgling democratic system are identified, & factors contributing to the "miraculous" success of democratic reform efforts are analyzed. Adapted from the source document.

Abstract: The teachings of Confucius and the heritage of Confucianism in East Asian societies such as Japan, Korea, China, Vietnam, Taiwan, and Singapore have encouraged loyalty to the state, including the modernizing nation-state. Such modernization, at least when it has taken the form of market-based, capitalist economic growth or development, has aided democratization. Confucianism guards no special sphere of conscience against the state in the way that some other spiritual traditions have, but the Confucian tradition sponsors no fundamentalisms and has even been a protoliberal influence. Its career has been ironic, but it has not hurt and may even have helped democracy.

Focuses on issues of Confucianism and democracy in East Asian countries, and how the democratization process and traditional society can coexist.

One of the fascinating theoretical questions
posed by the spread of industrialization and
today's nation-state-building process is how these
originally Western and quintessentially modern
institutions come to take root in other
civilizations. The question becomes even more
intriguing when the process of adaptation is
unusually swift and successful as in East Asia. In
Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore, the
states and peoples had scant time to learn and
absorb modern practices, norms, and concepts
before undertaking, or being subjected to,
countless reforms and revolutions in the name of
"modernization." How, or in what terms, did the
people in this "great transformation" understand
and interpret what they were doing? If the as-yet
imperfectly understood concepts and values could
not be appealed to, what resources—intellectual
and ethico-moral—were at their disposal to use to
motivate themselves and persuade others to
undertake or endure such massive changes?

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