8 pages in length. Determining whether or not Japan can be described as a liberal democracy requires the assessment of a number of areas in order to ascertain the extent to which this might be true. Indeed, Japan has come a long way toward the notion of liberal democracy; however, it can be argued that this progression has only succeeded in reaching halfway to the ultimate goal, with a considerable length still to go. Looking at various entities -- including political institutions and practices, participation of the public in the political system and protest movements, effects of the media, effects of the bureaucracy and local government, dominance of the Liberal Democratic Party, as well as the 1993 election results -- one is bound to gain a clearer perspective upon the issue of Japan's move toward liberal democracy. The writer discusses to what extent Japan can be considered a liberal democracy. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

A 17 page paper that presents an outline and explanation of Fukuyama's thesis about the end of history and the last man. The essay "The End of History?" published in 1989 and the book, The End of History and the Last Man, published in 1992 are still being discussed and analyzed in today's literature. Fukuyama's works created a great deal of furor and criticism in some circles and were applauded in other circles. This paper reports the interpretations of these two works by numerous scholars and also presents the criticisms levied against the thesis by other scholars. The thesis is that liberal democracy has won as the preferred system; this was evidenced by the end of the Cold War and this constitutes the end of history. One question asked by a number of authors is whether Fukuyama means this is the end of history or the end of historical thinking? The thesis is much more complex than this statement would imply and the complexities are discussed and reflected upon. The writer includes their own reflections. Bibliography lists 21 sources.

A 17 page paper that presents an outline and explanation of Fukuyama's thesis about the end of history and the last man. The essay "The End of History?" published in 1989 and the book, The End of History and the Last Man, published in 1992 are still being discussed and analyzed in today's literature. Fukuyama's works created a great deal of furor and criticism in some circles and were applauded in other circles. This paper reports the interpretations of these two works by numerous scholars and also presents the criticisms levied against the thesis by other scholars. The thesis is that liberal democracy has won as the preferred system; this was evidenced by the end of the Cold War and this constitutes the end of history. One question asked by a number of authors is whether Fukuyama means this is the end of history or the end of historical thinking? The thesis is much more complex than this statement would imply and the complexities are discussed and reflected upon. The writer includes their own reflections. Bibliography lists 21 sources.

A 6 page paper assessing the statement that the United States does not fit either the Participatory, the Liberal-Representative or the Pluralist models of democracy. The paper discusses each to conclude that America’s democracy is closest to the pluralist model, in which there are more than one or two types of ultimate reality. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

This 5 page paper discusses the four models of democratic governance: protective, people's, developmental and classical. The argument is made which supports the protective model of democracy as being the superior choice. Bibliography lists 3 sources.