SUPPORT FOR COUPS IN DEMOCRATIC POLITICAL-CULTURE - A VENEZUELAN EXPLORATION

Citation
Dj. Myers et Re. Oconnor, SUPPORT FOR COUPS IN DEMOCRATIC POLITICAL-CULTURE - A VENEZUELAN EXPLORATION, Comparative politics, 30(2), 1998, pp. 193
Citations number
63
Categorie Soggetti
Political Science
Journal title
ISSN journal
00104159
Volume
30
Issue
2
Year of publication
1998
Database
ISI
SICI code
0010-4159(1998)30:2<193:SFCIDP>2.0.ZU;2-U
Abstract
What do self-professed democrats mean when they hedge their opposition to military coups? Many believe that some coups improve democracy by unclogging political logjams and are an acceptable component of the de mocratic political game. Political culture theory labels this view of coups a mediating orientation. Do mediating political orientations ope rate differently from more ephemeral political attitudes? In Venezuela , persisting and overwhelming support of procedural democracy has coex isted with substantial backing for coups in the abstract. Political cu lture theorists would expect this result from mediating orientations. In contrast, views of specific coups are linked to opinions about spec ific political circumstances and change depending on these circumstanc es.