Raúl L. Madrid is the Harold C. and Alice T. Nowlin Regents Professor in Liberal Arts at the University of Texas at Austin. He is the author of The Rise of Ethnic Politics in Latin America (2012) as well as numerous other books and articles on Latin American politics.

'Raúl L. Madrid's The Birth of Democracy in South America is a superb book. It is one of the best books I've read on Latin America, and it is the best comparative analysis I've read of the origins of democracy. The book offers a clear, very original, and parsimonious theoretical argument; engagement with the existing literature; outstanding empirical research; a highly important research topic; excellent knowledge of the cases; and a very disciplined approach to the case studies.' Scott Mainwaring, University of Notre Dame

• Introduction: the origins of democracy in South America; 1. Armies, parties, and the birth of democracy; 2. Elections and democracy in South America before 1930; 3. Military professionalization and the decline of revolts; 4. The origins of strong parties in South America; 5. The roots of strong democracies: Chile and Uruguay; 6. The roots of weak democracies: Argentina and Colombia; 7. The roots of stable autocracies: Brazil, Peru, and Venezuela; 8. The roots of unstable autocracies: Bolivia, Ecuador, and Paraguay; Conclusion: contributions and implications.

Raúl L. Madrid is the Harold C. and Alice T. Nowlin Regents Professor in Liberal Arts at the University of Texas at Austin. He is the author of The Rise of Ethnic Politics in Latin America (2012) as well as numerous other books and articles on Latin American politics.

'Raúl L. Madrid's The Birth of Democracy in South America is a superb book. It is one of the best books I've read on Latin America, and it is the best comparative analysis I've read of the origins of democracy. The book offers a clear, very original, and parsimonious theoretical argument; engagement with the existing literature; outstanding empirical research; a highly important research topic; excellent knowledge of the cases; and a very disciplined approach to the case studies.' Scott Mainwaring, University of Notre Dame

• Introduction: the origins of democracy in South America; 1. Armies, parties, and the birth of democracy; 2. Elections and democracy in South America before 1930; 3. Military professionalization and the decline of revolts; 4. The origins of strong parties in South America; 5. The roots of strong democracies: Chile and Uruguay; 6. The roots of weak democracies: Argentina and Colombia; 7. The roots of stable autocracies: Brazil, Peru, and Venezuela; 8. The roots of unstable autocracies: Bolivia, Ecuador, and Paraguay; Conclusion: contributions and implications.

Raúl L. Madrid is the Harold C. and Alice T. Nowlin Regents Professor in Liberal Arts at the University of Texas at Austin. He is the author of The Rise of Ethnic Politics in Latin America (2012) as well as numerous other books and articles on Latin American politics.

'Raúl L. Madrid's The Birth of Democracy in South America is a superb book. It is one of the best books I've read on Latin America, and it is the best comparative analysis I've read of the origins of democracy. The book offers a clear, very original, and parsimonious theoretical argument; engagement with the existing literature; outstanding empirical research; a highly important research topic; excellent knowledge of the cases; and a very disciplined approach to the case studies.' Scott Mainwaring, University of Notre Dame

• Introduction: the origins of democracy in South America; 1. Armies, parties, and the birth of democracy; 2. Elections and democracy in South America before 1930; 3. Military professionalization and the decline of revolts; 4. The origins of strong parties in South America; 5. The roots of strong democracies: Chile and Uruguay; 6. The roots of weak democracies: Argentina and Colombia; 7. The roots of stable autocracies: Brazil, Peru, and Venezuela; 8. The roots of unstable autocracies: Bolivia, Ecuador, and Paraguay; Conclusion: contributions and implications.