Democracy

1. “The tragedy of modern democracies is that they have not yet succeeded in effecting [bringing about] democracy.” – Jacques Maritain, French political thinker 1940 “Democracy substitutes election by the incompetent many for appointment by the corrupt few.” – British Playwright George Bernard Shaw 1903 “ Democracy is the superior form of government, because it is based on a respect for man as a reasonable being.” – JFK (college thesis) 1940 Democracy

2. Representative Democracy • Representative Democracy - where the mass of the population would elect only a few of their people to represent their views in the new assemblies • “Since all cannot, in a community exceeding a single small town, participate personally in any but some very minor portions of the public business, it follows that the ideal type of a perfect government must be representative.” – John Stuart Mill, English political thinker, 1861

3. The Crucial Ingredients • Free elections and freedoms • Provide voters with a real choice between parties offering different programs • Freedom of the press • press not controlled by government in power • Freedom of expression • Allows issues to be debated and criticized • Freedom of assembly • permits people to gather for discussions • Freedom of association • Allows people to join together in parties or pressure groups to get their view across

4. And more ingredients • Rule of law • Situation where the law of the country is obeyed by all, including those in government and the armed services • so governments do not override people [the masses] at moments of crisis • Shared Values • If countries are divided between ethnic, religous, or linguistic groups and basic values are not shared, then there may be problems. Democracy is built around the idea of compromise. • Equality • All citizens are supposed to have equal political rights • Rich vs poor ..... Are we really equal? Can the rich buy corruption? • Constitution – system of institutions and rules

5. Weaknesses • Democratic rule can become tyranny of the majority in situations where basic values are not shared. • Inability to act swiftly and decisively when such actions are needed • Does not reach out across national boundries. Can we have international democracy?

6. “Flies caught in a web” • “What influence do politicians really have in a world of global capitalism? Single-handedly, not much... Governments are now like flies caught in the intricate web of the market. And voters see their powerlessness. They sense that politicians’ hands are increasingly empty. They watch politicians dancing to the corporations’ tunes ... And so, increasingly they are turning their backs on politics.” – Noreena Hertz in The Silent Takeover

7. A Matter of degree • “ Democracy is a matter of degree. Some countries are more democratic than others. But none is perhaps very democratic, if any high standard of democracy is applied. Mass democracy is a difficult and hitherto largely uncharted territory, and we should be nearer the mark, and should have a far more convincing slogan, if we spoke of the need, not to defend democracy, but to create it.” - E.H Carr, English Historian

8. How is democracy different than absolute monarchies? • Absolute rulers have power unchecked by any parliament or assembly. ( But sometimes limited by religion) • Monarchies gradually became constitutional, which made them accountable to rule within a framework of laws established in cooperation with an elected parliament.