The Origin of Democratic Theory - Essay Example

Democratic Theory ID Lecturer There is no definition of democracy that exists in the real sense of the word. With concerns to the different elements which are present within any society, democracy does not have any meaning in terms of its proper coining of definition. However what close linkages could be drawn in the name of its definition include a liberal meaning to the whole discussion related with its meaning and indeed usage. Democracy usually pertains to a state or a nation where politics reigns supreme undoubtedly. Democracy stands no chance if it is not comprehended from the liberal perspective. It takes care of subjects related with political pluralism, equality in the wake of law and the right to submit petition for the elected officials. (Young, 2000) It also brings to light different matters pertaining to human rights, civil liberties, a number of varied elements of the civil society and the different institutions working under the auspices of the government of the state. The origin of democracy has come about from the Ancient Greek times. The Ancient Greek political and philosophical thoughts made use of democracy and its different undertakings in their day to day affairs and practice. Plato called democracy as the system of rule by the governed, which summed the whole essence of democracy in its truest sense. The Republics of Ancient India had some instances and traces of civilizations of democracy within their ranks. This was way before the birth of the Buddha. Thus the origins of democracy stretch quite back in time and a number of nations can hold themselves in line with the original basis that was brought forward by this system of government, ruling and indeed legislation. (Przeworski) In its truest meaning, democratic theory is a political philosophy more than anything else. It is a form of government which exists for the people and brought in essence by the people. Democracy calls for competitive elections which are mandatory within such a form of government. What this does is to elect people or office bearers who get the most votes in such an election exercise. These elections bring to light the aspects of freedom of speech, freedom for the press and television and radio as well as a general exercise of law within the very state in which elections are being carried out. (Gabardi, 2001) In the name of democracy, it is significant that the civilian control of the military is kept away as much as possible since this gives rise to military dictatorship regimes and thus intervenes in the smooth political affairs and their undertakings. The major premise on which the principles of democratic theory stand is the rule of the majority. This means that democratic values are justified when majority reigns supreme and when there are no problems in letting the majority form its own government and thus exercise of laws that are permissible within the state. (Strolovitch, 2004) However what is more commonly seen in different parts of the world is that representative democracy is more often followed and encouraged over direct democracy. (Childs & Krook, 2005) Thus the advocates for this kind of representative democracy suggest that the rights of the minority groups and workers is protected in a direct manner, which would not have been the case had the direct democracy reigned over the representative one. In fact these advocates for having representative form of democracy suggest that direct democracy brings with it a tyrannical form of majority that is more harmful for the state than anything else and thus representative form is most adept. (Phillips, 1991) However within any democratic form of government, it is pertinent to comprehend that democracy can form the basis for solving problems when it comes to lawlessness, corruption and other worries that the state has up its sleeves from time to time. In the United States, separation of powers is remarked as something of a characteristic feature coming directly under the good facets brought forward by a democratic system in place. But on the other hand, within United Kingdom, parliamentary sovereignty is more dominant and its philosophical basis is much stronger than the other forms of government which could be made use of in the country. There are however certain countries where democracy indeed means direct democracy and thus the tyranny holds supreme significance in such a context. Thus democracy is defined and described in a number of different ways as one moves across the globe. (Howard, 2002) There is not a single definition and understanding which could be had from the discussion of democracy and this indeed is a fact that is known to one and all. Abraham Lincoln’s statement that "democracy is the government of the people, by the people, for the people" holds a lot of significance in this day and age. One must understand in what context Lincoln has suggested the exact basis of democratic regimes before moving ahead any further. He believes that democracy is best displayed when government is given to the people so that they could use it for their own best interests and this could only happen if the elected people are from the general masses so that the difference between the rulers and the ones who are ruled is not immense. (Danoff, 2000) This creates equality at all possible levels and also inculcates feelings of harmony, brotherhood and oneness within any society, region or country for that matter. In this statement by Lincoln, there is a deep meaning embedded. What Lincoln has brought to fore is an understanding that democracy is for the people who are governed by the people much like them and in a manner that is open and fair to everyone’s eye. This is a classic case of transparency since everything is visible in front of the people upon whom the leaders within this democratic set up are accountable and answerable. (Mansbridge, 2003) One seems to generally agree with the statement of Abraham Lincoln since he has pinpointed quite a significant aspect of the form of government that we are discussing here indeed. He has quite candidly summarized the whole story and concept behind having a democratic system in place. This would mean that institutions would be governed by people who are much like the people for whom they would work in reality. It would also mean that different organizations coming under the direct hold of the government are answerable to the people who are pretty similar and indeed out of the people for whom the services are being made available. Also the rule of having the government run by the majority is such a significant undertaking that one cannot deny its due existence and usage in any form of the government and not just democracy to state the least. (Phillips, 1995) It must be kept in mind at all times that democracy entails the composition of people more than any other form of government and thus it should be given the most significance whilst choosing a particular form of government by the legislators, rulers or decision makers of a new state, country or nation for that matter. The reasons for having a democratic set up in place are immense as outlined in the above paragraphs and the evidence has also been established as per its advantages and uses. The need of the hour is to realize whether or not a nation could actually run within the democratic regimes in the truest sense and as to how its people would react to the notion of having democracy within their folds. In the end, it is important to understand that democracy paves the way for a smooth flowing governmental regime in place within any state or country and it is to the benefit of one and all if such a system of governance is indeed made use of. The democratic theory could go a long way towards changing the thought processes and behavioral patterns of the people on a regular basis if its proper usage is documented and if there are no problems in the wake of a smooth running democratic form of government within a state. References Childs, S. & Krook, M. (2005). Gender and Politics: The State of the Art. Politics Danoff, B. (2000). Lincoln, Machiavelli, and American Political Thought. Presidential Studies Quarterly, Vol. 30 Gabardi, W. (2001). Contemporary Models of Democracy. Polity, Vol. 13 Howard, D. (2002). The Specter of Democracy. New York: Columbia University Press Mansbridge, J. (2003). Rethinking Representation. American Political Science Review, 97: 515-528 Phillips, A. (1991). Engendering Democracy. New York: Polity Press Phillips, A. (1995). Politics of Presence. New York: Clarendon Przeworski, A. (n.a). Democracy and Economic Development. Political Science and Public Interest, Columbus Ohio State University Press Strolovitch, D. (2004). Affirmative Representation. Democracy and Society (June) 3-5 Young, I. (2000). Inclusion and Democracy. Oxford: Oxford University Press Word Count: 1,350 Read More