ABSTRACT
In the final quarter of the twentieth century, a considerable number of countries made the transition from totalitarian or authoritarian regimes to democratic government, particularly in southern Europe, eastern Europe, and Latin America. While the introduction of democracy does not automatically imply respect for the rules and the law that the constitutions stipulate, comparative empirical studies show that support for democracy has risen among the citizens of these new democracies (Klingemann 1999; Norris 1999b) as has the acceptance of basic democratic values (Dalton 1994; Thomassen 1995).
