9 upvotes, 1 direct replies (showing 1)
View submission: Are there examples of oligarchic governments being removed peacefully?
Still, I think there’s a distinction between a relatively small number of politically-motivated murders happening and a full-on violent transition of power, especially in cases where the murderers are prosecuted (like Portugal). Violent transfers of power would be something like the Arab Spring revolutions, where governments were typically removed through force and mass violence occurred against the government, pro-reform groups, or both.
I’m not sure any country in history has managed to have totally bloodless governance, even in countries with stable, fully representative democracies, like the US or most of Western Europe. I think the important distinguishing factors are that:
1. A relatively small number of violent events happen (granted, this is subjective and somewhat arbitrary)
2. The state punishes people fairly for committing violent acts, including its own agents (I think this is the really important part)
If we check both boxes, I think it’s fair to call a transition of power peaceful. (I think a third overriding factor would be if any deaths that occur are accidental. If every death that occurs during a transfer of power is accidental in some way, then I don’t think it’s fair to hold that against the state as long as there wasn’t extreme or deliberate negligence.)
If violence occurs and the state does nothing about it, then it’s not a peaceful transfer of power by any metric.
Comment by Kcajkcaj99 at 22/01/2025 at 00:03 UTC
9 upvotes, 1 direct replies
What effect do you think the assassination of Luis Carrero Blanco had on the transition of power in spain? My understanding is that had he not been assassinated, Juan Carlos would not have gained power in anything more than name, and thus would have been unable to begin the transition.