Autorytaryzm, republikanizm i zmiana ustroju
Authoritarianism, Republicanism and Sytemic Transformation

Niccolò Machiavelli, Mancur Olson and Ian Bremmer

Summary/Abstract: The purpose of the article is to assess the explanatory power of Niccolo Machiavelli’s, Mancur Olson’s and Ian Bremmer’s approaches to political regime change. The common feature of these different theoretical models is the dichotomous vision of political systems – authoritarianism versus republicanism/democracy and systemic transformation. These models were tested for usefulness in explaining the rise and fall of the communist regime in the Soviet Union and the course and consequences of the post-communist political transformations. The authors conclude that Machiavelli’s approach, although not always internally consistent, remains inspiring; Olson’s model does not explain some of the essential elements of the examined processes; and Bremmer’s J curve can be used primarily to illustrate the dynamics and risks in the process of change, but does not explain the dynamics itself.

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