“Sometimes we use democracy to mean organisations other than govt as well as to mean ideal standards.” Explain
Answers
Answer:
Explanation:
The Concept of Democracy
It is difficult to reach a consensus on the definition of democracy. However, the main idea of democracy is
widely accepted to have originated from Athens in the 5th century BC.
The Webster New Encyclopaedic Dictionary (1995) defines democracy as a government in which supreme
power is invested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through representation. According
to Lindell, and Scott (1999), the term originates from the Greek word (demokratia) “rule of the people” which
was coined from (demos) “people” and (kratos) “power” or “rule” in the 5th century B.C.
It is important to note that the political system postulated by the Athenians was such that democratic citizenship
was exclusive to an elite class of free men only. Slaves and women were excluded from participation.
In a lecture titled “What is Democracy”? Larry Diamond (2004) gave an overview of what in his opinion is
democracy. He describes democracy as a system of government with four key elements:
i) A system for choosing and replacing the government through free and fair elections;
ii) Active participation of the people, as citizens, in politics and civic life;
iii) Protection of the human rights of all citizens; and
iv) A rule of law in which the laws and procedures apply equally to all citizens.
Popper as cited in Javie (2006) defines democracy in contrast to dictatorship or tyranny. He places emphasis on
the availability of opportunities for the people to control their leaders and to them without recourse to a
revolution.
Popper’s view must have hinged on the fact that there are many variants of democracy today. The most
dominant variable is what he terms the direct democracy in which all citizens of a country are given direct and
active participation in the decision making process of their countries. Another variant is the representative
democracy in which the whole body of all eligible citizens remain the sovereign power but political power is
exercised indirectly through elected representatives.
According to Encyclopaedia Britanica, the concept of representative democracy arose largely from ideas
developed during the Middle Ages, the Reformation, the Age of Enlightenment and the American and French
Revolutions.
Dahl, Shapiro, Cheibib (2003) state that in a representative democracy, every vote has equal weight, no
unreasonable restrictions can apply to anyone seeking to become a representative, and the freedom of its eligible
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