what do you understand by the “border meaning of democracy? explain three points.
Answers
Democracy in most countries today can be called representative democracies. That is: • All the people do not rule. • A majority is allowed to take decisions on behalf of all the people. • Even the majority does not rule directly. • The majority of people rule through their elected representatives. Only representative democracies are viable in today’s world. Because modern democracies involve a large number of people and it is physically impossible for all of them to sit together and take a collective decision. Now let us look at the other aspects of democracy:
Democracy is by far the most challenging form of government - both for politicians and for the people. The term democracy comes from the Greek language and means "rule by the (simple) people". The so-called "democracies" in classical antiquity (Athens and Rome) represent precursors of modern democracies. Like modern democracy, they were created as a reaction to a concentration and abuse of power by the rulers. Yet the theory of modern democracy was not formulated until the Age of Enlightment (17th/18th centuries), when philosophers defined the essential elements of democracy: separation of powers, basic civil rights / human rights, religious liberty and separation of church and state.