Abstract
Renewed interest in civil society emerged in the late 1980s; it coincided with the resurgence of political democracy throughout the world. Indeed, it has been increased with the growing tendency towards democratization in Eastern Europe, and several Latin American countries, where authoritarian regimes collapsed after – what was considered as- a “revolution from below” and “being hollowed out by resistance movements of ordinary citizens in voluntary associations who withdrew their tacit support”. That is why most researchers generally agree that a ‘civil society' is linked to the processes of democratization. But let's consider a definition of civil society: “It is that network of free associations where private individuals come together outside the intimate sphere of the family, but in a form of social life not controlled by the state; as a participant in the group, each person is acting as a private individual, not fulfilling an obligatory role; the common purpose of the group ought to be of broadly political significance”.
