The Democratization of Authoritarian Enclaves in Historical England and France

England and France suffered from incomplete democratization for extended periods historically.  Even after national leaders had approved democratic reforms, non-democratic enclaves existed within the countries.  These subnational enclaves resembled those in Latin American and Eurasian countries today, prompting this examination of how democracy ultimately developed throughout England and France and what lessons can be drawn for contemporary regimes.  Using archival materials and local and national political histories, this paper evaluates the impact of state capacity, the national governments’ democratic commitment, and the strength of local oppositions on overcoming subnational unevenness in democracy in England and France.