what is a democracy why do you need
Answers
What is the need of democracy? It’s to give all people (demos) a voice in government (cracy). That’s the long and short of it- everyone has an equal share in society and an equal say in what happens. In real life, mileage may vary. Often the poor and middle class are crushed by the rich and the democracy morphs into another, less desirable form of government.
Understand that democracy is an unstable form of government that often devolves into other more stable, but less salutatory forms of government: various forms of autocracy (absolute monarchs, dictators and totalitarianism), oligarchies, and plutocracies as well as feudalism- historically the most stable and stifling form of government.
Why are democracies unstable? Because everyones opinions count and they can all be argued and debated, sometimes to the point of ad nauseum. Why are democracies needed? For exactly the same reason. A perfect example of pure democracy was Athens in Classical Greece- Athens represents the full life cycle and benefits as well as pitfalls with pure democracy and the dangers of the cycles of mobocracy and autocracy that can sweep through. Medieval Florence represents the other way democracies can go- toward oligarchy and plutocracy. The French Revolution is another great example of the issues and achievements of pure democracies, from the Revolution, through the Terror to the Napoleonic Rule and the oligarchy of plutarchs afterwards.
If democracies are so unstable, why use it? Because the greatest achievements in human history were done when (theoretically) everyone has a place at the table, not just whatever form of aristocracy (hereditary, wealth-derived, race-based, etc) has seized power.
The way to stabilize democracies are well studied and executed. First, you need to establish a tradition of the rule of law, lex rex. Through this, everyone is able to trust the judiciary to render impartial decisions based on facts and is an essential pillar. Rex lex is often used by totalitarians and oligarchs to warp society to their desires, destroying the judiciary and peoples trust in society. Second, the voting mechanism must be above reproach and the results trusted by society. Thirdly, there must be a written contract between the people and the government detailing the rights, responsibilities and privileges of both. Often, at a regional or national level, the representative form of government is used, with the representatives being democratically elected. Local government (municipality) is often the closest to pure democracy.
Democracy is necessary because it is the best form of government humans have ever developed, but like early engines, it requires constant tinkering and refining.
a system of government by the whole population or All The Eligible members of a state typically through elected representatives