The Process of Democratization in Asia in the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries: A Perspective from The Constitutionalist Movements in Several Asian Countries

Tran Thi Hoa, Nguyễn Mai Thuyên

Hanoi Law University

Alongside reform movements, constitutionalist movements in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries constituted important foundational building blocks for the process of democratization in Asia. The penetration of Western powers and the collapse of traditional absolutist monarchical orders were not merely military defeats but also reflected the backwardness of existing power structures. Asia faced an existential crisis concerning its institutional models. In that context, reform and constitutionalist movements emerged as a “salvational” solution enabling countries to escape the imposition and constraints of Western powers, achieve independence, strengthen national autonomy, and modernize the nation-state

Article link: https://www.asianinstituteofresearch.org/lhqrarchives/the-process-of-democratization-in-asia-in-the-late-19th-and-early-20th-centuries%3A-a-perspective-from-the-constitutionalist-movements-in-several-asian-countries