Democracy is a dynamic set of governing principles and laws for establishing and maintaining social, political, and economic standards within a community, society and country. The spread of democracy in eastern europe appears to have had negative as well as positive consequences. The word democracy stems from the greek words demos, people and kratos, rule. This is generally used to understand the very basic of wh. New, rightofcenter rulers led by the bharatiya janata. In modern times, there are different ways this can be done.
While democratic governments come in many varieties, they are uniformly characterized by 1 competitive elections, 2 the principle of political and legal equality, and 3 a high degree of individual freedom, or civil liberties. The expansion of democracy has not been smooth and straight. Democracy is a form of government where the power lies with the people being governed. Nov 10, 2010 democracy is a form of government where the power lies with the people being governed. Democracy is a wretched form of government simply for the reasons santayana mentioned in the first definition. It would be like instead of having a congress in the u. Capacity to do things, not majority rule josiah ober democracy is a word that has come to mean very different things to different people. Democracy is a complex and contested concept, as a result there will always be differences of opinion, despite some considerable convergence on a core definition. In february and march of 1998, the worlds largest democracy held its twelfth general election since gaining its independence a halfcentury ago.
Jun 14, 2012 parliamentary democracy, a democratic form of government in which the party, or coalition of parties, with the largest representation in the legislature parliament, was originated in britain. The venus project foundation definition of true democracy. Vest definition is a sleeveless garment for the upper body usually worn over a shirt. Democracy article about democracy by the free dictionary.
Democracy is a system of government where citizens are allowed to participate in the proposal and creation of laws. In the phrase of abraham lincoln, democracy is a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. International relationspolitical science publication suny geneseomarch 25, 2011by eric gomez the worldwide financial crisis that struck a little over a year ago and the ongoing debate over healthcare in america have dominated the discussion in congress and in the media. A famous definition generally used is abrahim lincons quote democracy is the government of the people, for the people and by the people. The major predecessor to ringens and my own efforts to measure democratic quality in terms of the purpose of democracy is robert dahls seminal book polyarchy 1971. Special attention is given to kratos root and arche root terms. Defining democracy electoral reform and the struggle for power in new york city daniel o. Presents a new conceptualization of the history of democracy in the united states, with a focus on urban politics as a site of democratic experimentation and vitality.
Measuring the quality of democracy requires two prior judgments. The governing body was composed of the countrys most powerful aristocracy. Democracy makes all forces struggle repeatedly to realize their interests and devolves power from groups of people to sets of rules. The political system of classical athens, for example. The term comes from the greek word demos meaning people and kratos meaning power. The name is used for different forms of government, where the people can take part in the decisions that affect the way their community is run. A full democracy is when each citizen in the society has a direct and equal say in the decisions made in the society. In origin it is, of course, greek, a composite of demos and kratos. They do this by voting, though there are usually rules about who can vote. Authoritarian legacies and democratic deficits lie at the core of trends that threaten liberal rights. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their hearts desire at last, and the white house will be adorned by a. While theoretically, these definitions are in opposition, in practice the distinction has been blurred historically.
Democracy in the contemporary world recapitulation in the previous chapter we see how democracy has expanded during the last. Democratic government definition of democratic government. Democracy definition of democracy by the free dictionary. Democracy in the contemporary world recapitulation in the previous chapter we see how democracy has expanded during the last hundred years to more and more countries in the world. Throughout history, different places have had different. Indians appear to love the practice of democracy so much that they are in danger of overdoing it. Defining democracy museum of australian democracy at old. Democracy law and legal definition democracy is a political system where the legitimacy of exercising power stems from consent of people. The term is derived from the greek demokratia, which was coined in the 5th century bce to denote the political systems of some greek citystates, notably athens. Democratic government synonyms, democratic government pronunciation, democratic government translation, english dictionary definition of democratic government.
As democracy is perfected, the presidency represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. Democracy is a system of government in which people choose their rulers by voting for. A democracy is the opposite of a dictatorship, a type of government in which the power is centralized on the hands of a single person who rules the nation, lacks political pluralism, the people has no participation in the local politics and little to no freedom of expression. Democracy is a dynamic participatory means of governance. I confine myself in the ticket to address the political definition of democracy and devote a more detailed note on the philosophies of democracy. In a democracy the people have a say in how the government is run.
Most definitions of democracy focus on qualities, procedures and institutions. That the original meaning of democracy is capacity to do things not majority rule emerges from a study of the fifth and fourth century b. Democracy is a system of government in which laws, policies, leadership, and major undertakings of a state or other polity are directly or indirectly decided by the people, a group historically constituted by only a minority of the population e. Etymological roots of democracy greek demos and kratos imply that the people are in power and thus that all democracies are participatory. The reasons are a plenty, but the most serious among them is a common understanding that the americanstyle democracy that is being pushed down the throats of the people around the globe can not be regarded as a role model, since even the population of the united states doesnt seem to like it all that much. The word democracy has its origins in the greek language. Democracy acknowledges the decision of the majority, and in a. The word comes from two greek words that mean rule by the people. What is the difference between flawed democracy and full. Democracy is a system of government that bases its legitimacy on the participation of the people. Second, this definition means to cover a lot of different kinds of groups that may be called democratic. However, participatory democracy tends to advocate more involved forms of. Satisfaction with democracy meaning and measurements there is a rich literature on both within and between country factors that affects citizens satisfaction with democracy and the way democracy works for an overview, see cutler et. The public doesnt war, politicians want war, means there will be war, because its democracy.
The fall of the empire was followed by chaos and anarchy. Such a philosophy places a high value on the equality of individuals and would free people as far as. Democracy definition of democracy by merriamwebster. The public wants weed, the politicians dont want weed, means if theyll find you possesing it, youll be locked up for life, cause this is a. The definition of democracy has been expanded, however, to describe a philosophy that insists on the right and the capacity of a people, acting either directly or through representatives, to control their institutions for their own purposes. Democracy is a system of processing conflicts in which outcomes depend on what participants do, but no single force controls what occurs and its outcomes. Democracy is a system of government in which power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or through freely elected representatives. Democracy definition and meaning collins english dictionary. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. A constitutional government exists in a democracy and power of the leader is checked and restrained. In 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. But democracies can be defined as parliamentary, jacksonian, liberal, social and other types. A look at liberal democracys complex historical evolution shows that elite fantasies of liberalism without democracy are illfounded. The public wants tax cuts, politicians want tax raises, means there will be tax raises, because its democracy.
Democracy simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time. Democracy is a system of government in which people choose their rulers by voting for them in elections. The people meet to decide about new laws, and changes to existing ones.
That form of government in which the sovereign power is exercised by the people in a body, as was the practice in some of the states of ancient greece. The uncertainty of outcomes is inherent in democracy. When democracy is introduced to a culture, the existing political system is verb democratized through noun democratization to become more adjective democratic. A democracy is a society in which the citizens are sovereign and control the government. Since demos can be translated as the people qua native adult male residents of a polis. Democracy meaning in the cambridge english dictionary. Participatory democracy or participative democracy emphasizes the broad participation of constituents in the direction and operation of political systems.
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