Winston Churchill said, "Democracy is the worst form of government–except for all those others that have been tried."
Democracy has historically been associated with freedom, yet our societal understanding of democracy rarely goes beyond the surface level. We've all heard various political figures speaking of democracy, yet there appears to be an assumption that democracy is common sense. Similar to asking someone to "Google something." Their use of the word implies that it's meaning is clear cut, and hardly ever are they precise on the type of Democracy they are referring to. Yet the form of democracy chosen by a nation will ultimately dictate the level of freedom it's people will have.
So what is democracy? The Webster dictionary 1828 says,
"Democracy:
Government by the people; a form of government, in which the supreme power is lodged in the hands of the people collectively, or in which the people exercise the powers of legislation. Such was the government of Athens.
So a Democracy is a form of government where the supreme power lies in the people. Ultimately in a genuine democracy the people not only vote on representatives but ultimately have the final say in anything the nation does. Democracy therefore is more then just people voting for their leaders. The laws and practises of this style government is decided by the people and regulated by the people
Historically, pure democracies have a fatal flaw. The same human factor that makes democracies great, will eventually cause the collapse of this once great society. In an unchecked Democracy the majority rules. Yet the majority isn't always right. With time the people realize that they can vote themselves special benefits and privileges. This practice eventually leads to individual freedoms being voted away in exchange for special benefits.
It is for this reason that certain people will argue that a nation isn't ready for democracy. Yet this point of view is actually pretty selfish. A nation of people will look after their own individual needs far more effectively then a small group of elite ever could.
The challenge today is that when a nation considers democracy they usually think of either the European style of democracy or the Asian style. The European Parliamentary style of democracy has a legislative branch that even though it's leaders are elected by the people, it has very few checks and balances limiting it's power and therefore the elected officials can do whatever they please once elected. This branch is usually influenced by the upper class in that society. Or they consider the Asian style of democracy where even though the Democratic government is in place. The very wealthy choose not only who wins the elections, but the policies it adopts and which programs are implemented. Though both governmental styles have some democratic qualities, the end result is usually a lack of freedom among the people of those nations.
Preserved in the book The Federalist Papers are the different debates discussed by the founders of the American democracy. Upon reading the first few pages of The federalist papers it becomes blantantly clear the difference between the governmental system they dreamed of and what we've inherited today.
The founders of U.S. considered it their God appointed responsibility to study and fully understand the principles of freedom. Having recently freed themselves from the tyranny of the largest empire of their day. They knew from experience the cost of regaining freedoms once they were lost. One of their biggest fears was that the system of government they created would be left unchecked, and allowed to grow into an empire that instead of protecting its people's rights, it enslaved them. Because of this they studied diligently not only history and the bible, but other classic literature like the writtings of Aristotle, Pluto, John Locke, and more. They knew very well the different types of democracies, and to avoid confusion they choose to use the word republic instead. Though today the word republic has just as many meanings.
Based on their studies the founders believed that a true democracy was the worst form of democracy. They knew that the purpose a government was to protect it's people from individuals who attempted to violate the rights of others, from other big governments, and from their government itself. After much study and debate they decided on a limited, constitutional, representative democracy.
Limited (unalienable rights for all are protected)
Constitutional (ratified by the people; the three major powers separated, checked and balanced)
Representative (the people elect their leaders, using different constituencies to elect different leaders for different governmental entities–like the Senate and the House)
Democracy (the people have the final say through elections and through the power to amend the constitution)
As explained in Oliver Demille blog post: http://oliverdemille.com/2011/04/democracy-republic-empire/
Great read! ! Absolutely recommend. :)
Each aspect of this type of democracy is equally important. They are designed to be a system of checks and balances allowing the different aspects of this government to fulfill it's responsibility. While equally dividing up the power so that none of the individual parts become too powerful. The founders knew the importance of limiting the power their new government possessed, they feared that one day their future generations would find themselves battling a similar battle for freedom. They desperately wanted to avoid this.
Despite their efforts, the situation we find ourselves today gives undeniable proof that there was a flaw in their original design. Yet this is why it's important for our generation to rekindle our love for learning. It's my opinion that the flaw was not in the idea of a LIMITED CONSTITUTIONAL REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY, but in the writing of the constitution. As citizens we have the right to repair or replace our Constitution and the governmental structure. Yet how can we as citizens accomplish this without a strong commitment to educate ourselves on the system we inherited and the principles it was founded on.
There's a lot to be learned by studying not only our past, but the great thinkers that have come and left their legacies for us to study. The founders paid dearly for the freedoms we've come to take for granted. Yet if only a small percentage of people adopted the same sense of responsibility towards being educated citizens, the outcome would be a changed world. My hope in writing this post was to provide a deeper look into the concepts behind democracy.
Thank you for sharing with me.
God bless