“Good Revolutions Vs. Bad Revolutions: The Fate of Democracy in Europe in Post-Revolutionary States.”

“Good Revolutions vs. Bad Revolutions: The Fate of Democracy in Europe in post-Revolutionary States.”

Jack A. Goldstone, George Mason University and Woodrow Wilson Center, jgoldsto@gmu.edu

Revolutions are sometimes lauded as the only way to remove dictatorships and replace them with democratic regimes.  The historical record of revolutions in this regard has been decidedly mixed.  Using the new V-Dem multi-dimensional measure of democracy, this paper examines the nature of post-revolutionary regimes in Europe from the French Revolution of 1789 to the color revolutions of the early 2000s.  We identify the areas where revolutions seemed promising, succeeded, or failed in promoting the establishment of democratic regimes, and what were the patterns behind success and failure.