Abstract
Although no paradigm for the study of military disengagement from politics and subsequent liberalization and democratization has emerged and been widely embraced by scholars, patterns have been discerned in regionally based analyses. The article examines common themes (abrupt versus phased withdrawal, impact of professionalism, attitudes of senior officers, levels of national unity, and the effect of rapid delegitimation on military governments), areas of disagreement (military training and mission, economic factors, internal disorder, and gradual versus revolutionary change), and areas for further research (intra-military attitudes, political culture, and hypothesis-testing case studies).
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