Democracy Essay

Democracy : Democracy And Autocracy
Minhthi Nguyen
POS 2041
Jesse Helligso
November 19, 2014
Democracy and Autocracy
Today, 118 of the world 's 193 countries are democratic, encompassing a majority of its people (54.8
percent, to be exact), a vast increase from even a decade ago (Zakaria 23). When we are faced with
the term "Democracy", we think of safety but what people do not understand is that there are two
types of democracy and they are completely opposites of each other. The two types of democracies
include liberal and illiberal. In the article, Zakaria warns us about the rise of illiberal democracy
(the worst possible form of government). From the beginning of time, democracy has meant the
rule of the people but when the power gets into the wrong hands and there are no limits on that
power, we are faced with illiberal democracy, a form of government growing rapidly as we speak.
The democracy we think when we hear democracy is liberal democracy, a form of democracy with
voting and multiparty elections to create opposition. Democracy is considered liberal when there is
something that limits the government's powers like checks and balances and a constitution, which is
why liberal democracy has also coined the term "constitutional liberalism". Since we live in a split
society, civil wars are bound to occur at any moment. Once a stronger group is in power, based on
human nature, the stronger group will disregard the minority and try to take over completely.
Therefore, all the competition created from the
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Democracy And Its Effect On Democracy Essay
Over the past quarter–century, democracy has stood at the center of political debate in many
countries and it is a constant concern of the political and social sciences. Since its origins in
ancient Greece, democracy was seen as a form of government where power was exercised by the
people, that is, where political decisions were made by the majority. Today,democracy enjoys great
recognition, but it is important to bear in mind that where democracy is now the preferred
constitution, we can not forget that it is not the only one that has existed. For long periods, it did not
enjoy prestige, with several authors throughout history labeling the form of government as a negative,
undesirable system. In this paper, I will examine the results that democracies may produce to come
to the conclusion that it would not be worth scrapping the democratic process, even when
democracies produce detrimental results.
Elections and parties have long been considered vital institutions of democracy. This system of
government presupposes that people can intelligently make choices for themselves and it
presupposes perfect information, democracy holds a number of preconditions. One of which is
political knowledge. Yet, political ignorance is a serious problem, one that has been studied for
centuries it still disturbingly hangs over many democracies around the world. A sizeable deficiency
in political knowledge alone has the power to weaken a system of government that is presumed to
represent the

United States as a Democracy Essay
United States as a Democracy
Thomas Jefferson once wrote in the Declaration of Independence, "we hold these truths to be
self–evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain
inalienable rights that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these
rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the
governed." Today, this quote stands tall in defining and describing the type of government theUnited
States has created for the people. Ademocracy is a supreme power...show more content...
These officials are carefully selected and voted upon to make decisions to please the general
population. This is compared to the legislative branch in the United States government in which
single representatives are elected to represent the people. 1
A common characteristic that contributes to the practices of democracy is the concept of checks and
balances. James Madison, the fourth president quoted "the accumulation of all powers, legislative,
executive, and judiciary, in the same hands...may justly be pronounced the very definition of
tyranny." These checks and balances are primarily used to assure that the government or no branches
or offices of the government hold to much power. The term "separation of powers" is somewhat
inaccurate in terms of the powers are not actually be divided but they are ideally shared. The
founding fathers of this country believed that unrestrained power is dangerous, and is a good thing
the president and court check each other along with the state and federal governments. For example,
the Congress is in charge of making the laws and other legislature authority but the president can
veto that bill. In return, the president is also limited because the congress can then override the veto
by 2/3 of the majority. The

Democracy Essay
Democracy may be a word familiar to most, but still I would like to mention the fact that demos
means pertaining to people and kratios means to rule. Thus this word original coined by the
Greeks means rule of people as a whole and not by an individual or a privileged soul. It is a concept
still misunderstood and misused in some parts of the world where totalitarian regimes and
dictatorships have witnessed popular support by usurping democratic labels like in Iraq and Pakistan.
By the dictionary definition, democracy is government by the people in which the supreme power
is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free
electoral system. In a famous phrase of Abraham Lincoln, democracy is a...show more content...
In the name of the people, such authorities can deal with complex public issues in an intellectual and
step–by–step manner that requires an investment of time and energy that is often impractical for the
vast majority of common citizens. How such officials are elected can vary enormously. On the
national level, for example, legislators can be chosen from districts that each elect a single
representative. In India there is a system of proportional representation, each political party is
represented in the legislature according to its percentage of the total vote nationwide. Whatever the
method used, public officials in a representative democracy hold office due to majority. But there is
always a fine balance between Majority rule and Minority rights.
It was with India's first democratic leader, Nehru, that the Indian people were initially introduced
to democracy. The Indian people live in a very different type of society when compared to the
other democratic nations of the world. The Indians were agricultural people and not very
industrialized. By Nehru choosing democracy over industrialization, it has taken a lot of time for
the idea of industry to catch on. It has only been recently that the Indians have become a part of the
computer software industry. The main source of income in India is still crops. Even though India
adopted a democratic constitution in 1950, democracy as both a form of government and as an
organizing

Democracy: An Analysis Essay
Winston Churchill once remarked that "democracy is the worst form of government except all the
others that have been tried". In agreement with his statement, this paper will examine the problems
of democratic governments using specific examples, and compare it to the failure of fascist
governments in Nazi Germany and Italy and communist governments in the Soviet Union and China.
Theoretically, democracy is a stable form of government where power is in the hands of the people.
In a democracy, people have the liberty to elect officials that best represent their interests, and
political institutions exist as a result: Benjamin Constant argues in The Liberty of the Ancients
Compared with that of the Moderns that "true modern liberty is...show more content...
During elections in countries with corrupt governments, for example, it has to be decided whether
the guarantee of every individual's right to vote or who wins is more important. (Wong, Lecture,
October 24) Moreover, deep divides continue to exist and separate groups in democratic countries by
race, religion, language, and class, resulting in tension and, in some cases, oppression. Thus
democracy, despite its emphasis on liberty, equality and plurality, can still be problematic.
According to Andrew Janos, "the price of economic progress has been political turmoil". (Janos, pg.
21) If the Modernization Theory holds that countries tend to become more democratic the more they
modernize, then political turmoil is to be expected in democracies. Certainly this can occur in both
parliamentary and presidential systems: as Linz argues, the presidential system concentrates too
much power on the president, resulting in "winner–take–all" politics (Linz, pg. 56) and the
polarization of political parties. This is evident in the United States, where the president is elected
separately and Congress is divided between the opposing Democrats and Republicans. Conversely,
the parliamentary system in Britain, as well as that adapted by the former British colonies of Sri
Lanka and Nigeria, has had its fair share of single–party hegemony and political abuse. (Horowitz,
pg. 78) Democracy is therefore not a perfect form of government when put in practice, and much of
its

Democracy Essay examples
Traditionally, the purpose of democracy is to prevent the accumulation of too much authority in the
hands of one or a few. It rests on a balance of giving enough power for what Alexander Hamilton
called "vigorous and energetic government" and avoiding giving out so much power that
it becomes abused. Democracy is believed by some, such as Winston Churchill, to be the "least
bad" form of government. By creating a system where the public can remove administrations,
without changing the legal basis for government, democracy aims at reducing political uncertainty
and instability, and assuring citizens that however much they may disagree with present policies,
they will be given a regular chance to change those who are in...show more content...
The threat of coercive power is still the main cause for concern. A historical example would be Hitler
in pre–Nazi Germany, who was 'elected' in 1933 by the German people with the largest minority
vote. For this reason, some countries have created constitutions/laws that protect particular issues
from majoritarian decision–making. Generally, changes in these constitutions require the agreement
of a supermajority of the elected representatives, or require a judge and jury to agree that
evidentiary and procedural standards have been fulfilled by the state, or, very rarely, a
referendum. This means a majority can still legitimately coerce a minority, but such a minority
would be very small and, as a practical matter, it is harder to get a larger proportion of the people
to agree to such actions. On the other hand, proponents of broader democracy wonder what gives a
small minority of people the right to impose their will on the majority.
"Democracy has failed to eliminate social inequality, and this seems a permanent and structural
failure. It is undeniable that all democratic societies have social inequalities – substantial differences
in income, in wealth, and in social status. These differences have persisted: there is no indication that
inequality will ever disappear in democracies. In the stable western democracies, inequality is
apparently increasing. The pattern established in the United States is, that the lowest incomes do not
grow:

Modern Democracy Essay
In 1947, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Sir Winston Churchill, articulated a scathing
opinion of the global political spectrum in the post–war era after witnessing the fall of European
fascism in Germany and Italy as well as the impending rise of communism. He remarked, "It has
been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried."
This essay agrees vehemently with Churchill's assertion that democracy – for all of its faults – was,
and still is, the world's preeminent form of government when compared with all other alternatives,
notably fascism and communism. By analyzing modern democracy in theory and in practice, this
paper elucidates how democracy is at an intrinsic advantage in...show more content...
This parallel growth is due to the fact that democracy is inherently malleable, which allows it to
be altered to best serve the needs of the people. A level of guaranteed individual freedom which
was not necessary in antiquity is now required by humanity because of changes in progressive
social views, technology, and the division of labor. For example, the abolition of slavery has had a
measurable affect on modernity's opinion of human rights. Professor Jeffrey Kopstein of the
University of Toronto identifies the difference between modern and ancient liberties as an issue of
"freedom to vs. freedom from". Modern democracies guarantee individuals' freedom from
oppression, under the government or other individuals, which allows for the freedom of mobility.
The modern citizen is entitled to,
The right...to express his opinion, choose a profession and practice it, dispose of his own property
and even to misuse it; the right to come and go without permission, and without explaining what one
is doing or why; the right of each person to associate with other individuals – whether to discuss their
interests, or join in worship, or simply to fill the time in any way that suits his fancy; and each
person's right to have some influence on the administration of the government – by electing all or
some of the officials, or though representations, petitions, or demands that the authorities are more or
less obliged to take into consideration. (Constant 2)

Democracy Essay
Democracy
In the 2000 presidential election, less than 59% of our population saw fit to even vote. 80.5% of
those voting were white, that's roughly 60% of the white population. Of the meager 19.5% of the
vote the non–white population represented, less than 51% of non–whites able to vote actually did
(Census). What does this mean? How can democracy – a republic like ours – correctly function
without a more complete representation of opinion from its people? Former UCLA Law professor
Julian Eule argued in his essay "Judicial Review of Direct Democracy" that the framers of our
constitution set up the republic to in effect protect us from ourselves, to protect us from this sort of
majority rule.(Eule) I believe that this misrepresentation...show more content...
If the opinions of the people are not reflected by the leader they voted into office, so too may his
appointees. By not offsetting the extremist votes with the statistically more moderate vote of the
general populace, extremists are allowed into office to affect their possibly racist ideas upon the
public.
Does this rift in the voting population and the legislators themselves necissarily cause the racist
legislation and election of racist legislators? Even the nature of proposed equal rights legislation
such as affirmative action and its likes are a point of contention. Supported officially by the
NAACP and its likes, affirmative action has been largely argued as a positive step toward civil
equality, it has also been argued that "affirmative action programs [are] discrimination in
disguise."(CNN) The NAACP and ACLU, however, argue that the scope of affirmative action is
simply too small to be effective and thus appears discriminatory in nature. Due to the nature of the
issue and the voting habits of the public, the protection of minority rights cannot be necissarily
guaranteed. Evidence of this can be seen even here in texas, where former Governor Bush's policies
(in a state with a 29% minority population) caused a 35% decrease in minority admissions to the UT
Law program.(ACLU)"The President loves to opine about his 'commitment to racial justice' but, at
practically every turn, he

Democracy
Democracy Essay 1
Democracy is a means for the people to choose their leaders and to hold their leaders accountable
for their policies and their conduct in office. The key role of citizens in a democracy is to participate
in public life. Democracy is also a system of rule by laws, not by individuals. Democracy is not a
government. It is a way of thinking and a responsibility. In a democracy there is no corruption in
power because it is a transparent system; the governing doctrine states that citizens have the right to
access the documents and proceedings of the government, which allows for effective public...show
more content...
In life there is no greater pursuit than that of equal voice. Every day people are fighting for the
right to be heard. Democracy is that right on a grand scale. Democracy is not only being heard,
but being listened to. Democracy is when u is given an equal vote on decisions that directly
affect you. And when given this tremendous responsibility, people will surprise you. They rise to
the occasion and educate themselves on the issues at hand. They also work hard to ensure that the
next generation is knowledgeable. All citizens are equal under the law. No one may be
discriminated against on the basis of their race religion, ethnic group, or gender. No one may be
arrested, imprisoned, or exiled arbitrarily. No one is above the law, not even a king or an elected
president
In a democracy, the youth are educated. From birth they are taught that their voice matters and
their vote counts. These are rights they must fight to maintain and will prosper from. No,
democracies are not free of flaws. Some say that there is no way that something as simple as a
popular vote could null the evils of unlawful power or social inequality. These woes are valid, but
democracy can work. There are still consequences to right wrongs, and laws to help keep peace and
balance. There is a difference between freedom and chaos.
Without democracy, society suffers. In dictatorships there is no celebration of thought or creativity.
A country cannot thrive if

American Democracy Essays
American Democracy
The American democracy is one of the most peaceful kinds of government in the world although it
is a long way from utopia. The democracy in which we live has many strengths and weaknesses.
Neither strengths or weaknesses out weigh one another, but it is necessary to have both due to the
varying definitions. A democracy is a government that is run by the people. The politicians that we
elect to run our government are human and they are susceptible to mistakes based on their own
strengths and weaknesses. The strengths and weaknesses they possess are reflected into our
government but at least "we the people" elect them and they are not chosen for us.
We live in a representative democracy that means "we the people"...show more content...
It is kind of like a relationship, you tend to remember the bad more than the good. The same applies
to campaigning. When some of us go to the ballot box we remember certain commercials either on
the television or radio. And nine times out of ten, we remember the negative commercials over the
positive.
The campaigns are suppose to educate us and negative campaigns is not a good way to do that.
The positive campaigns are the ones that should educate us. Positive campaigns promote "the will
of the people." The "will of the people" want trust, security, someone they can relate to. But with
positive campaigns there is a drawback, it costs more money. Now you have those people who
want to reform campaign finance. They feel we already spend too much money on campaigning. If
you have the money supporting you, then you should be allowed to spend the money in whatever
way it best suits your campaigning. More money does not mean a victory, just ask Ross Perot. More
money could mean more positive campaigns and better education about the politicians for "we the
people."
Some people feel we should let the newspapers and media inform us about candidates, but the
media is the worst critic of all. Journalists are paid big bucks to see who can find the dirtiest secret
one person has done. So, what positive influences could the media possibly provide to us? Our
media in this country is out of control and they inform us of issues we do not need to know about.
While

Forms Of Democracy
What is Democracy?
A democracy is a system of government where the citizens have the right to elect government
representatives who jointly create a government body for the entire nation. In a democratic
government, people have certain rights that the government can't take away from them; these rights
are guaranteed. The eight main forms of democracy are:
1. Direct democracy 2. Representative democracy 3. Presidential democracy
4. Parliamentary democracy 5. Authoritarian democracy 6. Participatory democracy 7. Islamic
democracy
8. Social democracy
Direct Democracy – Direct democracy is when citizens vote for a policy directly. If the
government needs to pass a law or policy, then it goes to the people. The people place a vote on
the issue and through their vote, they decide the fate of their country. When the country's
population is small and educated a direct democracy is a good idea. Switzerland has had an
extensive history of very successful direct democracy. However, most countries are too big so it
makes it too complicated for a direct democracy to work. In these cases, people choose to elect
representatives from their country on their behalf, instead of voting on every issue.
Representative Democracy– Representative democracy is when the citizens choose to vote for who
will represent them in a parliament. Its reputation relies on defending the rights of most of the
people in the state and also the minorities. Australia and New Zealand are examples of countries

Essay On American Democracy
American democracy may be winning but, are both democratic and non–democratic elements
working for our good? Although, our government has become extremely corrupt, and inefficient, the
American people still have hope. Unfortunately, this has been demonstrated many times when it
comes to creating laws that benefit all citizens. Just as, the issues of our electoral process is also a
concern, along with the impact of the media and interest groups. Consequently, the question is raised
can government programs solve the issues we face?
Introduction
Is American democracy working? The fact is, we have failed to hold politicians accountable for their
failures in accurately and justly representing the American people. Besides, there is a complete
...show more content...
In general, the process that we have to hold elections is fair, in that, we let the people of the United
States decide who will take over an office, and this makes our electoral process better than most
other countries. However, the voting system in the United States can be improved greatly. Because,
we can only vote for one candidate we often are forced to choose who we think will win, opposed
to who we believe is best for the job. Besides, some may say that this type of voting is not healthy
for our democracy, but currently it is working. One controversial aspect of our electoral process
is the Electoral College. This process makes it possible for a candidate that comes in second in
the popular vote to become President (Bardes, Shelly, Schmidt, 47). Inadvertently, this may leave
a loop hole open for cheating in the electoral process, whereas, it may be easier to corrupt electors
than to corrupt a whole state of voters. The most concerning aspect of our electoral process may be
the influence of money. Because, we have an opportunity for both individuals and corporations to
donate unlimited amounts of money, this poses a threat to the electoral process. Aside from money
there is also voter suppression. As an African American I consider voting to be cherished and
celebrated. After all, many of my ancestors died for my right to do so. For this reason alone,
Americans would like to see change take form in our

The Pros and Cons of Democracy Essay
Churchill's claim that "democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have
been tried" is deliberately provocative and intended to challenge the reader's simplistic ideal that
democracy is without faults. There are an estimated 114 democracies in the world today (Wong, Oct
3rd lecture). A figure that has increased rapidly in the last century not necessarily becausedemocracy
is the best form of government, but primarily for reason that in practice, under stable social,
economic and political conditions, it has the least limitations in comparison to other forms of
government. Be it the transparency of a democratic government or the prevalence of majority rule,
all subdivisions of democracy benefit and hinder its...show more content...
Additionally, in more precarious democratic governments such as India's, peoples right to power is
still recognized. Ronojoy Sen remarks of India's 2009 elections that, "a handful of successful
professionals and entrepreneurs even ran"(cite). Despite implying that only successful peoples were
exercising their liberties, elucidated in this article is the potential of any citizen to attain political
power, demonstrating true liberal democracy in its purest form. Communism does not give its
people these liberties, the party is the "agent for creating political development" (Janos, pg. 2) and
there is little need for elections as the outcome is pre–determined. In the case of Nazism, while Hitler
utilised democracy to attain power, once in control democracy was replaced with autocracy.
Prevalent flaws within most modern democracies are evident in their social and economic
systems. One such problem, in a system that advocates freedom to do whatever you please, is the
consequential wealth disparity (Wong, Oct. 24 lecture, tutorial). Aristotle once said that,
"democracy is the form of government in which... the free are the many and the rich are the few".
This highlights a paradox of democracy in that it attempts to be equal to all, yet often the rich will
get richer and the poor will get poorer, and an increasing wealth divide will influence governance.
Constant writes (pg. 12), "wealth is a power more readily available at any moment... more

Democracy In The United States Essay
U.S. Involvement in Other Countries As a country, the United States is technically a constitutional
federal republic. However, their government most closely allocates to that of a democracy. However,
the United States of a America has a somewhat violent history involving the spread of democracy.
The bad does not outweigh the good in this scenario, and the core definition, Immanuel Kant's
perception of democracy should continue to be spread throughout the world. Even though violence
has resulted in the most severe cases, the United States of America should continue to work to
spread democracy as a means of promoting peace. Primarily, if one looks at the variants of the
democratic peace theory that argues democracies are not likely to pursue one another in a violent
manner resulting in conflict or war, they can clearly see that democracies are generally peaceful in
relations with one another. The rational public thesis states that democracies show the peaceful
tendencies of people who are aware of the destruction that war will bring upon them. Also, the culture
thesis makes evident the fact that democracy...show more content...
Yes, as a country, the United States is tremendously in debt, yet, that does not outweigh the
greater good that the US stands for. "To make the world safe for democracy has come to be the
ultimate goal of the United States" (Blakeslee 491). In order to maintain this goal, the United
States must intervene when natural rights of citizens are being taken away, it is the duty of this
country's foreign policy. However, democracy, like most all things, can come to be corrupted, like
present day Venezuela and the Germany that elected the monster that was Adolf Hitler. It is the
duty of the United States to promote peace on a global level, to make the world safe for democracy,
for their is no more peaceful

Democracy Essay
Democracy
The word democracy literally means "the government of the people" (demos). Plato, of course, is
using the term to refer to the democracy of Athens, a small city–state where every adult male citizen
was a member of the Assembly, and so had a voice in governmental policy. But in Athens more than
half of the population were slaves or foreign residents, neither of whom had any civic rights. Hence,
the defects that Plato sees in Athenian democracy are probably not the same ones he would find in
such modern–day democracies as the United States or France.
The transition from oligarchy to...show more content...
With wry sarcasm (or is it?), Socrates says that the democracy seems to be "a delightful form of
government, anarchic and motley, assigning a kind of equality indiscriminately to equals and
unequals alike!"
Where, then, is the defect in the democratic constitution? Why does Plato consider a democracy a
degenerate society that is only slightly more preferable than a tyranny?
Socrates reveals the defect when he describes the democratic man. He begins his description by
distinguishing between necessary and unnecessary appetites. Appetites that maintain life are
necessary; all others, and Socrates appears to include sex, are unnecessary. Although the
oligarchic man loved wealth, he was ruled by his necessary appetites. Not so his son, who does
not even respect wealth. The democratic youth seeks every kind of pleasure under the sun; his
desires are unbridled by any concern for moderation. He neglects his studies and all honorable
pursuits. He flaunts his appetites, for he believes that one pleasure is as good as another. As a
democratic man he is unable to make distinctions. His total lack of a philosophical nature makes him
a comic character whose life

Democracy Essay
Democracy has become the most widespread political form of government during the past decade,
after the fall of all its alternatives. During the second part of the 20th century, the 3 main enemies of
democracy, namely communism, fascism and Nazism, lost most of their power and influence.
However, democracy is still only to be found in less than half of this world's countries. China with a
fifth of the total population "had never experienced a democratic government" and Russia still doesn't
have a well established democracy. By adopting a democratic perspective, 3 types of governments
emerge, non–democratic, new democracies, and old democracies, and all have a different challenge
to overcome: either to become democratic, to "consolidate"...show more content...
The whole Athenian experience shaped the political philosophy, even the way we understand it
today. At the centre of the Athenian government was an assembly, which every citizen was able to
attend. The role of this assembly was to select citizens for public duties. Whereas key positions were
selected through election, other public duties were decided by lottery. Although this is the first
record attempt of democracy, many of the ideas of that time have been ignored, when talking about
modern democratic governments. Concomitant with the Athenian system, in the city of Rome
popular government was introduced as well, albeit under a different name, respublica (from "res" В–
thing and "publicus" В– public). Consequently the republic was similar with Greek demokratia. At
the beginning only aristocrats or patricians were allowed to participate at the governing act, but
"after much struggle the common people [В….] also gained entry" (Dahl, 1998: 13). Only male
patricians, later lower castes as well, were able to govern, meaning that women, same as in Athens,
were denied any political rights. Starting as a city–state, the Roman Republic conquered territories
far beyond its initial borders and gave Roman citizenship to the conquered people. Even though this
system might seem sturdy, the impossibility to adjust the institutions of popular government to the
increasing number of citizens and the ever–growing

Democracy : Democracy Vs. Democracy
Democracy is a Greek invention, first practiced in the ancient Greek city of Athens. In the late 20th
century, Democracy triumphed over all other major ideological systems, so overpowering was its
victory that former critics now began to advocate their own democratic credentials. The vigorous rise
of democracy has continued ever since and today there are over 112 self–proclaimed democratic
countries around the world(Kekic 2007), whether all these countries are truly democratic or not
is debatable and which will be discussed further in the essay. Important questions arise here: will
democracies face a formidable opponent in the future? Have democracies remained true to their
essence? or have they been breached by competing ideologies? A large majority of these 112
countries are not true democracies, as they do not adhere to the basic democratic credentials of :of
the people, by the people and for the people. Serious revisions are needed in the workings of the
modern state if democracy, in its true form, is to remain the dominant system. Whether democracy
even in its purest form is flawed or not is a different question, one that I will not address in this essay.
In a true democracy, "The most important political office is that of the private citizen" as stated by
Louis Brandeis. The majority population should be the overwhelming factor in determining the
direction of govt policy, there should be political equality for all citizens, in other words each
individual should have

A Democratic Society Essay
A Democratic Society
Throughout time the debate upon which is the best system of government has been an ongoing
debate. Somewhere between the realms of democracy, socialism, fascism, communism, and
monarchism lies the answer to the perfect system. Traditionally speaking, North America has always
tried to remain democratic in ruling. The democratic system, unlike it's alternatives, encourages
equality and liberty among the people which in modern society, makes it the most attractive system
of government today.
Arguably, equality is the goal of many governments today. But what one must realize is that equality
cannot be reached without giving someone else inequality. While democracy influences equality,
...show more content...
Liberty is possibly the most important attribute in American and Canadian society. What people
want is the ability to make their own decisions and go about life with the freedom to do so. In a
democratic society, people are able to voice their opinions to government and ultimately play an
important role in the make up and organization of society. To a new nation, these attributes of our
society are quite attractive. Many new nations today are making the switch to democratic
government. The problem with this is that most of these nations have never been democratic before.
Therefore, new nations are having great difficulty because such a switch is not easily accomplished.
To develop a democratic society it has taken some more more than an entire century. These new
nations tend to rush the change and in the end they become frustrated because such a switch is not
as easily accomplished as thought. The features of a modern democratic state are firstly a society
dedicated to the preservation of rights and freedoms. From that, a government system must adhere to
developing a form of government which encompasses the values of a working society. In other
words, a government for the people, run by the people, and a system into which they have invested.
An excellent example of a nation that comprises the rights and freedoms of its people is Canada. As
a nation we

Transition to Democracy Essay
Since the initiation of the Third Wave of Democracy, several countries have attempted to form a
democratic system of governs. We take note that not all have succeeded. At the dawn of this era,
democracy was being applied to countries with no prior history of a governing body that was place
by the people for the people hence success of such a system could not be guaranteed because of the
innumerous variables that existed in each country. People being the highlighted factor of variance, it
may become easier to understand how countries such as Pakistan and Nigeria, both countries prior to
the Wave had no local governing machinery. Pakistan further endured a partition from India which
resulted in not only an instant religious and...show more content...
The Spanish citizens were not always necessarily tormented by tyrants, whose political ideologies
only reflected what benefited themselves. From 1931– 1936 , the second republic was formed in
Spain where they established a free democratic setting and "For the first time a major breakthrough
was made in regional autonomy, indispensable for the development of a stable modern democracy in
Spain" 1. Spain currently is a parliamentary representative democratic constitutional monarchy. Its
branch of powers is separated in to two, where the executive power lies with the government and
the legislative power is delegated to the Spanish parliament. Due to this structure it is very
arduous for political figures in states and governments to abuse their power. The executive power
in Spain is given to the Council of Minister's, which is led by the Spanish prime minister. The
Prime Minister is initially nominated by the king where after he is required to obtain the vote of
the lower house of parliament, and finally the king appoints the prime minister. Spain's legislature
is elected directly. The Spanish legislature branch consists of the congress of deputies and the
senate whom serve for a period no more than 4 years. The senate is elected through bloc voting at
a provincial level. The congress on the other hand is similar yet different, as it is at a provincial level
as well. Two members are allocated for each province; the number of

Democracy Essay : What Is Democracy?
What is democracy? To me democracy is the freedom to choose how your country is run.
According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, it defines democracy as government by the
people1. Democracy gives us the freedom to choose our government officials and political
leaders. We have the right to choose our leaders and the way we live when many others do not
have that power. We are privileged as a country; many aspire to be like us. Our country through
democracy, gives us the opportunity to live life how we would like to. This idea is known as the
American Dream, which is different for everyone. The American Dream is most commonly
depicted as a good job, making good money, a spouse and children, and living a good life in
general. Outsiders may think the grass is greener on the other side, but in reality it is not. Our
country is going downhill and fast. In ten years I do not know where the U.S. will be, but I hope
that we will become stronger and figure out our faults now as a whole. In many ways, I see our
freedoms have expanded, but only to be replaced with new rules that blockade those new freedoms.
In the past couple of decades our country has changed so much. Even more has changed in the past
century. Slavery has been frowned upon and thrown out, the equal rights movement took place and
showed that we are all equal at the end of the day. With that being said, there are still some that
ridicule others and their races, and believe that they are superior to the others. Some

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