Democracy Essay - 1012 Words

Democracy has become the most widespread political form of government during the past decade, after the fall of all its alternatives. During the second part of the 20th century, the 3 main enemies of democracy, namely communism, fascism and Nazism, lost most of their power and influence. However, democracy is still only to be found in less than half of this worlds countries. China with a fifth of the total population had never experienced a democratic government and Russia still doesnt have a well established democracy. By adopting a democratic perspective, 3 types of governments emerge, non-democratic, new democracies, and old democracies, and all have a different challenge to overcome: either to become democratic, to consolidate†¦show more content†¦The whole Athenian experience shaped the political philosophy, even the way we understand it today. At the centre of the Athenian government was an assembly, which every citizen was able to attend. The role of this assembly was to select citizens for public duties. Whereas key positions were selected through election, other public duties were decided by lottery. Although this is the first record attempt of democracy, many of the ideas of that time have been ignored, when talking about modern democratic governments. Concomitant with the Athenian system, in the city of Rome popular government was introduced as well, albeit under a different name, respublica (from res Ââ€" thing and publicus Ââ€" public). Consequently the republic was similar with Greek demokratia. At the beginning only aristocrats or patricians were allowed to participate at the governing act, but after much struggle the common people [Â….] also gained entry (Dahl, 1998: 13). Only male patricians, later lower castes as well, were able to govern, meaning that women, same as in Athens, were denied any political rights. Starting as a city-state, the Roman Republic conquered territories far beyond its initial borders and gave Roman citize nship to the conquered people. Even though this system might seem sturdy, the impossibility to adjust the institutions of popular government to the increasing number of citizens and the ever-growingShow MoreRelatedDemocracy Is Not A Democracy1297 Words   |  6 Pages â€Å"Democracy... while it lasts is more bloody than either aristocracy or monarchy. Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There is never a democracy that did not commit suicide.† said by John Adams Defines our country s government to a tea Democracy commonly refers to a type of political system in which the people or their representatives lawfully govern themselves, rather than being governed, say, by a military dictatorship, totalitarian party or monarchRead MoreDemocracy : Democracy Vs. 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