Lipset, Seymour Martin Lipset 1959. “Some Social Requisites of Democracy: Economic Development and Political Legitimacy.” American Political Science Review 53, 69-105.

Central Argument: Social Requisites of Democracy

Stable democracy depends on economic development and political legitimacy. Wealth, industrialization, urbanization, and education create social conditions that support democracy, while legitimacy helps democratic institutions survive crises.

Economic Development and Democracy

Lipset argues that wealthier, more industrialized, urbanized, and educated countries are more likely to sustain democracy. His famous claim is that the more well-to-do a nation, the greater its chances of sustaining democracy.

 Education as a Democratic Requirement

Education is Lipset's strongest individual-level factor. It encourages tolerance, political participation, and more moderate political attitudes. He considers it close to a necessary, though not sufficient, condition for democracy.

The Middle Class and Political Moderation

Economic development transforms society from a pyramid-shaped class structure into a diamond with a larger middle class. A strong middle class encourages moderate political parties and discourages extremism.

Economic Development and Lower-Class Politics

Greater income, education, and economic security give lower-income groups longer time horizons and make them more likely to favor gradual reform over revolution. Cross-pressures also reduce ideological intensity.

Effectiveness vs. Legitimacy

• Effectiveness: How well a government actually performs.

• Legitimacy: Whether people believe the political system and its institutions are appropriate and rightful.
  A democracy can survive poor performance if it has legitimacy, but effective government without legitimacy may collapse when performance declines.

The Four Types of Political Systems

• Legitimate and effective: Most stable.

• Legitimate but ineffective: Can survive economic or political crises.

• Effective but illegitimate: Survives only while performance remains strong.

• Neither legitimate nor effective: Most likely to collapse or rely on force.

 Sources of Legitimacy Crises

Legitimacy weakens when major groups are excluded from political participation, conservative institutions are threatened during transitions, or revolutionary movements create expectations they cannot fulfill. Lipset's discussion of monarchy shows how preserving traditional institutions and symbols can maintain elite support for democracy.

Social Cleavages and Democracy

Major historical conflicts over religion, citizenship, and income distribution can destabilize democracy. When these conflicts occur simultaneously, political opponents may view one another as existential or moral threats rather than legitimate competitors.

Cross-Cutting Affiliations and Parties of Integration

Cross-cutting affiliations connect people across different social groups and moderate political conflict. In contrast, parties of integration can isolate their followers from the rest of society, reinforce ideological divisions, and weaken democracy.

 Correlation vs. Causation (Multivariate Explanation)

Lipset rejects the idea that one factor alone causes democracy. Economic development, education, legitimacy, and civil society interact. Democracy can also strengthen the very conditions that help sustain it, meaning these factors are both causes and consequences of democracy.