Democracy is a system of government in which people choose their rulers by voting for them in elections. A constitutional government exists in a democracy and power of the leader is checked and restrained. 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. Essentially this means that a democratic government may not be providing the most good for the largest number of people. A democracy is a society in which the citizens are sovereign and control the government. A full democracy is when each citizen in the society has a direct and equal say in the decisions made in the society.
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. Such a philosophy places a high value on the equality of individuals and would free people as far as. Democracy simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Democracy definition and meaning collins english dictionary. The people meet to decide about new laws, and changes to existing ones. Democracy acknowledges the decision of the majority, and in a. In a democracy the people have a say in how the government is run. The governing body was composed of the countrys most powerful aristocracy. Democracy article about democracy by the free dictionary. 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.
Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time. When democracy is introduced to a culture, the existing political system is verb democratized through noun democratization to become more adjective democratic. But we nevertheless have to put up with democracy, for the other forms of state are even worse. Democracies do not elect dictators or presidentsforlife. Participatory democracy or participative democracy emphasizes the broad participation of constituents in the direction and operation of political systems. Indians appear to love the practice of democracy so much that they are in danger of overdoing it. The venus project foundation definition of true democracy. 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. 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. The word democracy has its origins in the greek language. 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.
What is the difference between flawed democracy and full. So the definition of democracy does not settle any normative questions. The fall of the empire was followed by chaos and anarchy. Democracy definition in the cambridge english dictionary. Fourth, the equality required by the definition of democracy may be more or less deep. Defining democracy electoral reform and the struggle for power in new york city daniel o.
Democracy in the contemporary world recapitulation in the previous chapter we see how democracy has expanded during the last. Democratic government synonyms, democratic government pronunciation, democratic government translation, english dictionary definition of democratic government. 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. It may be the mere formal equality of oneperson onevote in an election for representatives to an assembly where there is competition among candidates for the position. Etymological roots of democracy greek demos and kratos imply that the people are in power and thus that all democracies are participatory. The underlying principle behind democracy is freedom and equality for all its constituents. 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. The spread of democracy in eastern europe appears to have had negative as well as positive consequences. This is generally used to understand the very basic of wh. They do this by voting, though there are usually rules about who can vote. Democracy meaning in the cambridge english dictionary. 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. Authoritarian legacies and democratic deficits lie at the core of trends that threaten liberal rights.
Measuring the quality of democracy requires two prior judgments. Well, for one, as well discuss later, the founders actually feared democratic rule. I confine myself in the ticket to address the political definition of democracy and devote a more detailed note on the philosophies of democracy. Democracy is a dynamic participatory means of governance. 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. While theoretically, these definitions are in opposition, in practice the distinction has been blurred historically.
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. Democracy is a system of government that bases its legitimacy on the participation of the people. Throughout history, different places have had different. 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. What is really needed is a society of patrician plebeians, and we do not have that. However, participatory democracy tends to advocate more involved forms of. A common theme in the discussion of these two issues has been the appropriate role. In the phrase of abraham lincoln, democracy is a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. 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. 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. Special attention is given to kratos root and arche root terms. Democracy law and legal definition democracy is a political system where the legitimacy of exercising power stems from consent of people. The expansion of democracy has not been smooth and straight.
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. The word comes from two greek words that mean rule by the people. The term comes from the greek word demos meaning people and kratos meaning power. A famous definition generally used is abrahim lincons quote democracy is the government of the people, for the people and by the people. Nov 10, 2010 democracy is a form of government where the power lies with the people being governed. Defining democracy museum of australian democracy at old. It would be like instead of having a congress in the u.
Democracy is a wretched form of government simply for the reasons santayana mentioned in the first definition. In origin it is, of course, greek, a composite of demos and kratos. Democracy is a system of government where citizens are allowed to participate in the proposal and creation of laws. The political system of classical athens, for example. 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. But democracies can be defined as parliamentary, jacksonian, liberal, social and other types. The public doesnt war, politicians want war, means there will be war, because its democracy. Democratic government definition of democratic government. Democracy definition of democracy by merriamwebster. 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. In modern times, there are different ways this can be done.
Democracy definition of democracy by the free dictionary. Since demos can be translated as the people qua native adult male residents of a polis. 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. Second, this definition means to cover a lot of different kinds of groups that may be called democratic. Most definitions of democracy focus on qualities, procedures and institutions. Capacity to do things, not majority rule josiah ober democracy is a word that has come to mean very different things to different people. The public wants tax cuts, politicians want tax raises, means there will be tax raises, because its democracy. Democracy is a system of government in which people choose their rulers by voting for. New, rightofcenter rulers led by the bharatiya janata.
In february and march of 1998, the worlds largest democracy held its twelfth general election since gaining its independence a halfcentury ago. 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 makes all forces struggle repeatedly to realize their interests and devolves power from groups of people to sets of rules. As democracy is perfected, the presidency represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. A look at liberal democracys complex historical evolution shows that elite fantasies of liberalism without democracy are illfounded. 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 is a system of processing conflicts in which outcomes depend on what participants do, but no single force controls what occurs and its outcomes.
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