Since the global wave (“third wave”) of democratization reached its peak at the turn of the 1980s and 1990s, the topic of democratization has become central to understanding the modern world of politics. It is no coincidence that many undergraduate and graduate educational programs in political science and international relations have introduced courses on political change and democratization, but the supply of high-quality textbooks on these topics remains limited. This textbook fills this gap, accessible and systematically introducing students and anyone interested in modern politics to the theoretical and practical aspects of political change and democratization. It touches on almost all important aspects of democratization, including the actual theories of democratization, the necessary preconditions and driving forces of democratic transition, key actors and institutions, as well as the conditions and challenges for the consolidation of new democracies in the main regions of the world. Attention is also paid to failed cases of democratization. The book is addressed to those who study and teach political science, as well as to everyone who is trying to understand the complex issues of the political development of the world in recent decades. Richard Rose Patrick Bernhagen Dirk Berg-Schlosser John Markoff (with the participation of Amy White) Christian Welzel Hakan YilmazPatrick BernhagenChristian Welzel, Ronald F. InglehartPamela PaxtonNatalia LetkiFederico M.Rossi,Donatella della PortaIan McAllister,Stephen WhiteLeonardo MorlinoMattheis BogaardsKatrin Woltmer,Harry RawnsleyM. Stephen Fish, Jason WittenbergRichard GunterAndrea Oelsner, Mervyn BainChristian W. HarpferFrancesco CavatortaMichael BrattonDo Chull Sheen, Rollin F. Tusalem[1009]Christian W. Harpfer,Patrick Bernhagen,Ronald F. Inglehart,Christian Welzel