The Transition from Military Dictatorship to Democracy and the Transition from Elite Politics to Mass Politics: A Comparative Views of Spain and Thailand

Abstract

This paper has 3 objectives. Firstly, to study a transition from military dictatorship to democracy in Spain which period is from 1975-1982 after General Francisco Franco, a military dictatorship leader, passed away. The period was a time of constitutional monarchy regime restoration and a turning point of a compromise between an old and a new regime expressed in social and political structure design. Secondly, examine and identify problems of a transition from military dictatorship to democracy in Thailand in concise. Then analyze and compare case of Thailand with a case of Spain. Thirdly, conclude lesson learnt from Spain’s case as a proposal for Thailand, particularly, lesson learnt of significant political institutions adjustment and political consensus formulations in a severe socio-political conflict area.