Democracy is a form of state government where power is exercised by the people , through legitimate mechanisms of participation in political decision-making.
Democracy extends to communities or organized groups where all individuals have the right to participate in decision-making with equality before the law.
The fundamental mechanism for citizen participation is universal, free, and secret suffrage , through which representatives are elected for a specific term. Elections are held by majority voting, proportional representation, or a combination of both.
However, the existence of elections is not a sufficient indicator to affirm that a government or regime is democratic. Other characteristics and principles must be combined.
Characteristics of democracy
Democracy can be understood as a political doctrine and a form of social organization. Among its many characteristics, we can mention the following:
Principle of popular sovereignty . In democratic systems, power is derived from the consent of the people. Citizens, through universal, free, and secret suffrage, elect their representatives to carry out the functions of government.
Rule of law . The rules enshrined in the Constitution are observed. Likewise, the precept of equality of all citizens before the law applies.
Individual and social freedoms . Freedom of the press and opinion are fundamental, as is the freedom of individuals to form civic, economic, or cultural associations or political parties.
Separation of powers . Democracies contemplate the separation of powers into legislative, executive, and judicial bodies to avoid the concentration of authority in an individual or small group of people.
Respect for human rights . Democratic governments uphold the principles expressed in the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights. They also commit to ensuring representation for minorities, as well as dissident groups and ideologies.
Adaptation to different forms of state organization . Examples of this are:
- The republican system:public administration falls to the citizens, who elect a president to exercise executive power.
- Parliamentary monarchies:the king remains the head of state. However, a prime minister is chosen from among the parliamentarians, with powers similar to those of a president.
See also:
- The 14 basic characteristics of every democracy .
- 13 Values of Democracy and their importance
History of democracy
Origin
Democracy began in Ancient Greece, especially in the city of Athens, between the 6th and 5th centuries BC. Athenian society was organized to have a government in which citizens participated directly in decision-making on public affairs through discussion in assemblies and voting.
This system was based on the fact that all citizens could speak freely in the agora, that is, the public square where assemblies were held. It was also in this place that citizens elected army generals and those who would hold administrative positions.
Although Athens is considered a precursor to the tradition that centuries later led to modern democracies, the truth is that voting was restricted in the ancient Greek city-state. Only adult males had this right. Women and slaves were excluded.
The image depicts Pericles (495–429 BC), a notable magistrate and general from the Golden Age of Athens. In his funeral oration, he praised his city’s constitution, which “favored the many, rather than the few, and that is why it is called a democracy.”
Democracy in Modernity
For centuries, the ideals of democracy remained hidden. It was the reading of classical texts during the Renaissance that allowed for its rediscovery and revealed how it had functioned in antiquity. Writers then emerged who imagined how to put it into practice again.
An example of this was Thomas More’s 1516 book, Utopia . This author fantasized about an island where authorities were elected by popular vote and where positions rotated so that no one person could accumulate power.
In theoretical terms, we must go back to 1690 to find in John Locke’s Second Treatise on Government ideas about popular sovereignty and the necessary counterbalance between parliament and the authority of kings.
Within the framework of the French Enlightenment of the 18th century, Montesquieu proposed the division of state power into executive, legislative, and judicial in his book The Spirit of the Laws of 1748. Such ideas were adopted in the independence of the United States and in the founding of republics after the French Revolution of 1789.
Democracy and Industrial Revolution
With the arrival of the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century, the middle class emerged in Europe and America. This social class had interests that encouraged their participation in politics, supported the expansion of voting rights, and supported the formation of associations.
Democracy evolved gradually. The right to vote was first granted to property owners, then to the working classes, and finally to women as well. In 1863, Abraham Lincoln expressed the idea of democracy that had matured over time as “government of the people, by the people, for the people.”
Spread of democracy in the world
Throughout the 20th century, the number of countries in which democracy advanced as a political system increased. The two most important moments in the spread of democracy occurred after World War II and after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
In the first case, European powers such as France and England were forced to grant freedom to their colonies in Africa and Asia. In many of these new countries, republics and parliamentary regimes were established, promoting the creation of participatory institutions.
While many of the democracies that emerged then have been criticized as flawed, there was a tendency to favor democracy as an ideal of government in developing countries.
In the second case, the disintegration of the communist bloc in the 1990s allowed numerous Eastern European countries to adopt a democratic model with broad political party participation. Several of these countries are now part of the European Union.
Types of democracy
Below are the types of democracy according to the level of citizen involvement in public affairs and the most popular political movements of recent decades.
Representative or indirect democracy
Representative democracy, also known as indirect democracy, is where citizens exercise political power through their representatives, elected by vote, in free and periodic elections.
Thus, the exercise of state powers and decision-making must express the political will that citizens have placed upon their leaders.
Representative democracy is the most widely practiced system in the world, as in Mexico, for example. Liberal democracies , such as the United States, typically operate within a representative system.
Direct democracy
Direct democracy was the original model of democracy, practiced by the Athenians in ancient times. Direct or pure democracy is said to exist when the citizens themselves, without the intervention of representatives, participate in political decision-making.
This participation is exercised through direct voting, plebiscites, referendums, and popular initiatives, among others. Today, this type of democracy appears unviable as a national system due to the massification of society .
However, this model inspires the functioning of small community organizations as part of a local and specific reality. For example, neighborhood or citizen assemblies.
Participatory democracy
Participatory democracy is a model of political organization that seeks to give citizens greater, more active, and more direct capacity to intervene and influence public decision-making through mechanisms other than voting.
At least theoretically, participatory democracy is considered a variant of direct democracy. It seeks to involve citizens in the oversight and control of the implementation of public policies and ensures that citizens are organized and prepared both to propose initiatives and to express their support for or opposition to a measure.
Liberal democracy
Liberal democracy is based on models of representative government that aspire to follow the principles of classical liberalism. Therefore, it emphasizes respect for individual liberties, economic freedom, and limited government power.
Liberal democracies seek to establish balances between the powers of the state and citizens, as well as provide protection to minorities against the power of the majority.
Social democracy
Social democracy proposes the pursuit of greater economic and social equity among citizens while respecting the institutions of the democratic state, without destroying the functioning of the capitalist economy. Therefore, it pursues gradual changes through market regulation, tax collection, and the creation of public programs that help distribute wealth.
Originally, it was related to Marxism. However, social democrats sought to establish socialism through a peaceful, non-revolutionary transition. After the second half of the 20th century, they became more moderate, and their intentions were now linked to the efficient functioning of the welfare state.
Christian Democracy
Christian democracy blends traditional Christian values with modern democratic ideas. Socially, it upholds conservative social values, such as the prevalence of family unity.
On the other hand, although Christian Democrats believe in the right to private property and oppose left-wing revolutions, they advocate economic well-being through robust regulation of the market and labor relations.
Examples of democracy
In modern societies, the quintessential democratic practice is exercised when elections are held to elect representatives. Citizens then express their opinions by voting to elect presidents, governors, mayors, representatives, etc.
However, these are not the only demonstrations of democracy that we can find in our daily lives. Among other multiple examples of democracy are:
- Class representative election: In schools, students can agree and vote for a classmate to represent them on the school council.
- The formation of neighborhood councils: Residents of residential complexes meet annually to elect those who will oversee the administration of the buildings. The residents’ vote grants this role to those elected as presidents, treasurers, members, etc.
Advantages and disadvantages of democracy
Advantages
- Encourage citizen participation: people can take part in decisions about their community and country by voting or participating in public activities.
- It decrees civil equality: all persons have the same rights of participation and each citizen knows that their vote has the same weight as everyone else’s.
- Distribute political power:In true democracies, there are checks and balances within institutions so that no political actor can impose their will on the population without discussion, consensus, or acceptance.
Disadvantages
- It’s expensive and inefficient: maintaining public bodies costs a lot of money. Furthermore, laws often require numerous steps to be taken before passing resolutions. For this reason, democracy is sometimes accused of being slow and bureaucratic.
- Using the system to corrupt it: Since democracy gives everyone a voice, some politicians use their influence to gain advantages and promote changes that ultimately fragment institutional solidity and can corrupt or even destroy the system.
- It creates political polarization: Identification with an ideology can lead citizens to defend a specific position on public issues. This creates social rifts that make it difficult to reach agreements that benefit everyone.
Literature
Guariglia, Osvaldo (2010) “Democracy, origin, concept and evolution according to Aristotle.” In Cuadernos de Filosofía del Derecho, No. 33, (pages 157-190).
Picardo, Hugo & Cambronaro, Andrei (2018) Understanding Political Belligerence. IFED-TSE Publishing House. San José, Costa Rica.
Touchard, Jean (2006) History of Political Ideas. Technos. Madrid.
Sultana, Tasmeen (2012) “The Evolution of Democracy through the Ages: Focus on the European Experience.” In Journal of European Studies, Vol. 28, No. 1, (pages 27-50).
