ABSTRACT
Preliminary comparative efforts have advanced a modest inventory of propositions about the processes of transition in Latin America from 1975 to 1985. The military has recognized that this is a "democratic phase" in the convoluted cycle of Latin American political economy. Free and competitive elections appear to be one of the indispensable requirements of a genuine democratic transition. The chapter argues that even the most ferocious forms of authoritarianism deteriorate and break down. One argument is that authoritarian regimes are as vulnerable to economic deterioration and as capable of creating economic crises as their democratic counterparts are. This lesson is a major political and ideological defeat for those who argue that effective approaches to development are incompatible with democratic regimes. The other argument is that the military extrication from power at the present time in South America represents a tactical decision to abandon the field to the civilians at the worst possible moment.
