transitions from an authoritarian regime to a democratic one

For this think-piece I want you to consider the following question:

What explains transitions from an authoritarian regime to a democratic one? Or, the reverse question, what explains the transition from a democratic regime like in Venezuela, to a dictatorship?

You can write about either Mexico as a case explaining how a country transitions to democracy or about Venezuela, how a country transitions towards dictatorship.

This should be about 3 double-space pages and is due on April 17 by 11:59pm.