BRINGING DOWN AUTOCRATS :THE RISE AND SUCCESS OF PRO-DEMOCRACY MOVEMENTS AGAINST MARCOS AND SUHARTO

Abstract

The occurrence and subsequent success of democratization protests against authoritarian regimes are a curious phenomenon, contradicting the collective action logic which suggests that rational individuals of a large group will not act together to achieve a common non-excludable good, due to self-interests. Studies on social movements have answered this puzzle by proposing theories and approaches that focus on different stages of the protest, different levels of analysis, or different aspects of the movements - namely their conditions, means and norms. Current literature has been compartmentalized, failing to systematically link the different aspects and causes of democratic mobilization. This thesis analyses the 1986 People's Power Revolution and the 1998 Anti-Suharto protest, and proposes a comprehensive theoretical framework that explains the rise and success of pro-democracy movements.