How does the democratic experience in Asia, in countries with unique and totalitarian political traditions, compare with democracies worldwide? Is the aspiration to freedom universal or is it a product of western ideas and institutions? Taking a comparative approach, Alan T. Wood traces the evolution of democracy from its origins in prehistoric times, and describes democratic growth in thirteen Asian countries from Japan in East Asia to Pakistan in South Asia. Periods and topics discussed include: the background of Western democracy post-war democracies in India, Japan, and the Philippines...