Transcript Perfect Democracy

The Spectrum of Government
Power
Many variations between two
extremes:Totalitarianism & perfect Democracy.
Democratic & Non-democratic Gov.
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Perfect Democracy
Non partisan politics.
Full individual
participation.
Unlimited individual
liberties.
Absolute social &
economic equality.
Absolute freedom of
press.
Free access to
administrative office.
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Perfect Totalitarianism
Single party politics.
Absence of voting
franchise.
Absence of individual
liberties.
Enforced social &
economic stratification.
Government control of
press.
Total economic control
by government.
Thought control &
obliteration of individual
conscience.
Many variations in between
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Democracy.
Limited Democracy.
Authoritarian.
Totalitarian.
And, many others……
Modern Democracy
What is Democracy?
The word has many meanings,
some dictatorships use the word to
convince citizens that they live in a
just system.
Example:China still calls itself the “People’s
Republic”.
Modern Democracy
Democracy is from the Greek word
“Demokratia” which is
demos =people & kratia=government
Some use the word to mean mob rule
as in the perfect democracy of
Athens also known as Athenian
democracy.
Representative Democracy
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It is a democracy in which the people do
not rule directly but through elected and
accountable representatives.
A political system which supplies regular
constitutional opportunities for changing
the governing officials, and a social
mechanism which permits the largest
possible part of the population to
influence major decisions by choosing
among contenders for political office.
Representative democracy has several
essential characteristics:1- Popular accountability of government:Policymakers must obtain the support of
a majority.
Leaders are accountable to citizens.
Elected leaders who govern badly must
be ousted.
Governmental officials must be freely,
fairly, and periodically elected by fellow
citizens.
Characteristics Cont.
2- Political Competition:Voters must have a choice, either
candidates or parties.
That means a minimum of two
distinct alternatives.
A regime with no opposition is
undemocratic.
Political competition controls
corruption.
Characteristics Cont.
3- Alternation of Power
 power must change hands with the
“ins” becoming “outs” in a peaceful,
legitimate way.
 A system in which the ruling party
stays in power many decades
cannot really be democratic.
Characteristics Cont.
4- Popular Representation:Voters elect representatives to act as
legislators and as such to voice and
protect their general interests.
5- Majority Decision:The majority should decide but with
respect for minority rights otherwise it
becomes “Tyranny of the majority”.
Characteristics Cont.
6- Right of dissent and disobedience:Related to minority rights, the
people must have the right to resist
the commands of government if
those commands no longer serve
the public will.
Without civil disobedience minority
claims would have gone unheard.
Characteristics Cont.
7- Political Equality:In a democracy, all adults (usually 18
and over) are equally able to participate
in politics.
8- Popular consultation:Most leaders realize that to govern
effectively they must know what the
people want and must be responsive to
these needs & demands.
Characteristics Cont.
9- Free Press:Dictatorships cannot tolerate free
and critical MASS MEDIA;
democracies cannot do without
them. One of the clearest ways to
determine the degree of democracy
in a country is to see how free its
press is.
WHY?
Characteristics Cont.
Mass Media provide the citizens
with facts, raise public awareness,
and keep rulers responsive to
citizens demands.
What happens if rulers control Media?
They can disguise wrongdoing and
corruption.
They could lull the population into
passive support.