...Democracy, a form of government that many people like and many people dislike. This form of government is used in the United States of America, and many other countries. It was formed to bring more power to the people and less power to the leader(s). The democratic form of government in the United States started in 1776 and George Washington was the first to witness this form of government for us. I believe that the word “democracy” means, government of the people. I believe it means this because one of the main reasons it was used in the United States was because after the American Revolution, the Americans wanted to make their government a government that would give more power to the people so it’s as equal as it can get. What makes democracy...
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...Political Theory Professor K 07/11/2012 Democracy The term democracy is defined as: “a political system by which the citizens of a country govern themselves.... where their elected representatives make laws; the executive branch administers those laws and is responsible for the way it does so.” (www.duhaime.org). This simplified definition of the term democracy adequately defines what it is that the U.S. wants to spread and administer thought all countries around the world. After the Cold War ended, promoting the international spread of democracy seemed poised to replace the containment of democracy as the guiding principle of U.S. foreign policy. Scholars, policymakers, and commentators embraced the idea that democratization could become America's next mission. In recent years, however, critics have argued that spreading democracy may be unwise or even harmful. Because of this, the debate of whether or not the United States should spread democracy or put it on the backburner is never ending. Critics of the spread of democracy argue, “democratic peace is a myth; that the process of democratization increases the risk of war; and that democratic elections are harmful in societies that are not fully liberal.” (belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu). This idea of democratic peace is that countries that have established democracies rarely, if ever, go to war with each other. Critics argue that even though it is rare that countries that have democracies go to war with each other, the fact that...
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...Definition Essay: Democracy Read the following quotations: “There are two things which a democratic people will always find very difficult – to begin a war and to end it.” Alexis de Tocqueville (French Historian and Political Scientist, 1805-1859) “Democracy... while it lasts is more bloody than either [aristocracy or monarchy]. Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There is never a democracy that did not commit suicide.” John Adams (Second President of the United States) “As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy.” Abraham Lincoln (Sixteenth President of the United States) “Democracy is a device that ensures we shall be governed no better than we deserve.” George Bernard Shaw (Irish Playwright and Essayist, 1856-1950) Write an essay in which you define the word Democracy. Basic Requirements: o Introduction paragraph with thesis statement (HINT: This thesis statement will propose your definition of the word Democracy.) o 2-3 body paragraphs that correlate with your thesis statement and support your definition o A concluding paragraph that reminds me of your key points and effectively argues your definition As you write your essay, you must: o Focus on defining the concept of Democracy. o Effectively organize your ideas using the provided graphic organizer. (A five-paragraph essay is not necessary; however, you do need a definite introduction, body and conclusion.) o Include supporting...
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...future of democracy and its role in human-rights law. The idea of Western societies encouraging democratization of non-western societies is believed to be cultural imperialism, which abuses the power of states in the developing world. However for the purpose of this paper, I view the support of democratization by Western societies as a positive approach to achieving the core significance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that is supposedly recognized by all states. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was created on the notion of a common human race. It represents the first global expression of rights to which all human beings are naturally entitled. Of the fifty-eight countries that were members of the United Nations in 1948, forty-eight countries initially approved the document. Essentially all of the world’s states have approved it since then, which indicates that in any event its principle articles should be used by all states as an instrument in binding international law in spite of the presence of treaty ratification or state of war. Considering the fact that most countries have agreed to abide by the Declaration of Human Rights, it can be assumed that all states would have the intention to accomplish that in the best way possible. With the intentions of protecting essential human rights, the promotion of democratization is crucial and the most proficient way possible. The twenty second article of the Declaration of Human Rights states that: (1)...
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...the United States of America, the evolution of the nation’s government is a prominent factor as to how it operates today. Some claim that the United States of America is strictly a democracy on the basis of historical documents and statements made by historical figures. On the other hand, many believe that the United States government is modelled after a republic. Ultimately, a democratic or republic form of government is merely a set of ideals off of which an operating governments are based on. Given this notion, it is inaccurate to pigeonhole any modern government because it is difficult to live up to ideals in reality. Thus,...
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...studies politics; that it is scientific; that it is possible to study politics separated off from economics, sociology, and history; that the state in our democratic capitalist society is politically neutral, that is available as a set of institutions and mechanisms to whatever group wins the election; and that political science, as a discipline, advances the cause of democracy.1 Politics, in the broadest sense, is the activity through which people make, preserve and amend the general rules under which they live. Politics is the process of who gets what, when, and how. Lastly, politics is a process of allocating scarce values.2 Various theorists and concepts define what the role of politics is in order to help us get a better understanding of how the study of politics is useful. Politics help us to understand the relationship between the government and the state’s minority citizens. Plato, the student of Socrates, defined politics in his own way. The ideal government proposed by Plato was the adherence of each individual to “universally valid principles” aimed at improving the lives of all the citizens instead of increasing power, prestige, or material wealth of a select few. Plato believed that this ideal government would be ran by individuals ho were full of wisdom and virtue instead of charisma and cunning. This is because in Athenian democracy, leaders were irrationally chosen based on irrelevant details such as family background, wealth, good looks, and persuasive speech. Being...
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...to Americans, but to the world and to civilization.” The political organization Croly speaks of is democracy, which influences both the economic and social structures of regions that utilize. Because of Herbert’s quote, it is evident that democracy is a worthwhile venture—one that must be spread. It is because I agree with the legendary Herbert that I affirm today’s resolution: Resolved: The United States ought to promote democracy in the Middle East. We value a democracy” in the resolution contextualizing it as a question with the ideals of democracy presupposed. The Oxford Dictionary defines democracy as “A system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives” Prefer the Oxford dictionary because They come from the most reliable sources The most commonly used and most useful definition of a word comes first and we have used the first definitions of democracy in these dictionaries They match the definition of democracy that normal citizens would associate with the word Our value criterion will be fulfilling the obligations of the government Americans have an obligation to assist others due to the innate value of all people Lynn-Jones 98 [(Sean M. Lynn-Jones, Editor, International Security; Series Editor, Belfer Center Studies in International Security) "Why the United States Should Spread Democracy" Discussion Paper 98-07, Center for Science and International...
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...contemporary militarism” – Lenin “The policy, practice, or advocacy of seeking, or acquiescing in, the extension of the control, dominion, or empire of a nation, as by the acquirement of new, esp. distant, territory or dependencies, or by the closer union of parts more or less independent of each other for operations of war, copyright, internal commerce, etc.” – Oxford dictionary The word imperialism derives from “empire.” As such, it is useful to spend a bit of time to define the word. In working towards a minimal definition, Stanford Professor of Archaeology J. Manning in his first lecture on Ancient Empires starts with: “An empire is a territorially extensive hierarchically political organization.” Unfortunately this definition is too vague. All states encountered in human history are by definition hierarchical, and many nations today are vast compared to the empires of the ancient world. Thus, Manning rephrases his definition of empire to be: “A territorially extensive hierarchical political organization involving the rule of one or more groups over other groups of foreigners.” But what causes empire? There are two models worth explaining. One is originated by the Greek historian Thucydides, famous for the quote “The strong do what they can and the...
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...Communications 275 Exam 1 Study Guide Key terms Lecture 1: * Key celebrants and skeptics * Key celebrant and skeptic terms * Cognitive surplus * Collective intelligence * Filter Bubble * Internet Paradox * Flight from conversation * Plasticity of Brains * Relationship between capitalism and democracy * Three main approaches to the political economy of the media Lecture 2: * Four great communication revolutions * Evolution and history of early Homo Saipan species * Common ancestor * Eight major developments in evolution * Third chimpanzee * Importance of Fire * Great Leap Forward * Surplus definition and importance to civilizations * Pre-Capitalist society surplus * C-M-C * Important developments of the Age of Kleptocracy * Second great communication revolution * Where it did and didn’t develop and why * Importance to society * Greek philosophers * Feudalism * Importance of 1492 and new world discovery * Third great communication revolution * Products of the revolution Lecture 3: * The catechism of capitalism * Change in the economic equation from feudalism to capitalism * Mindsets of society under feudalism * Mercantilism * Industrial capitalism equation * M-C…p…C1-M1 * Characteristics of the equation * Three Iron laws of Capitalism * Externalities *...
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...The essence of this essay is to explore democracy, democratic consolidation and democratization. It further explains why democratization takes different ‘flight trajectories’ in different developing countries. 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 Encyclopedic 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 Lindel, and Scott (1999), the term originates from the Greek word (demokratia) which simply means “rule of the people” and it 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. Furthermore, in a lecture titled “What is Democracy”? Diamond (2004) gave an overview of what in his opinion is democracy. He describes democracy as a system of government with four key elements: a system for choosing and replacing the government through free and fair elections; active participation of the people, as citizens, in politics and civic life; protection of the human rights of all citizens; and a rule of law in which the laws and procedures apply equally...
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...Michael Novak’s view on the History of Corporations This section of the paper discusses the history of the corporation, its origins and development as well as the various and definitions of the term stakeholder. This section also discusses the differences between various management philosophies and how each philosophy views the term stakeholders; a) the traditional American view of stakeholders as owners, b) the social democratic view where stakeholders have claim or stake in the firm. The American view is the foundation of freedom and liberty while the socialist view refers to the slavery and despotism. The Existence of Corporations The answer to the existence of corporations doesn’t refer to certain date or time. The actual existence of corporations refers to what one means by the term as the corporations have existed for several centuries. Surviving in the corporate world generated from the founding generations of farmers and fishermen, owners of land, churchman, etc (Jennings, 2012, p.105). Michael Novak viewed the corporation as a calling (Murphy, 2008) that generated from the business men who have ethical standards on what they were introducing to society. These ethical standards can be of good or evil. The society has great impact over big corporations. Society can make or break a business depending on the products introduced and how successful it can climb in the market (Jennings, 2012, p. 106). Many businesses grow based on their ethical views and how the market will...
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...Democracy in the United States: A comprehensive look at the Pros and Cons of a Federalist Society and Individual Freedoms. What is democracy, do we really understand the concept and the implications of the freedoms that our society enjoys. Democracy by definition is a “government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections”.(1) The United States democracy in current times can be a difficult situation to grasp, due to the fact that we are operating off of the Constitution written over 200 years ago, and individuals modern interpretations of what the founding fathers of this country would have considered appropriate doctrine and methodology. Through the aforementioned definition and the perspective of current lawmakers are the tools with which we will define whether the United States has become more or less democratic throughout its history. So what then are the advantages of a democracy? The first point would be that it is better for the population, everyone having an equal part or say in the laws which govern them is advantageous for any group of people. Democracy is often seen as a fairer and less arbitrary form of government as it allows the "will of the people" to become the law. To some degree, this prevents scenarios like a small, powerful minority exploiting...
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...American vs. Athenian Democracy Athens created the first democracy, which redefined the way countries could be run. The city-state of Athens was strong and had a very strong military and naval reinforcements to keep it safe. A democracy is defined as; “a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections”(Merriam Webster). The development of the Athenian democracy saved the people of Athens from the rule of emperors and military leaders. Even though Athenian Democracy was the most developed political process of running a government, it was still not as efficient and exact as the United States model which more clearly established the rights of the governed because it set up trial by jury, benefits of being a US born citizen and equality for all. Trial by jury is essential to they way of life in America. To be eligible for jury duty in the United States a person has to be at least 18 years of age and cannot have been convicted of a felony. Jurors are interviewed to make...
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...Hi A government is the system by which a state or community is controlled.[1] In the Commonwealth of Nations, the word government is also used more narrowly to refer to the collective group of people that exercises executive authority in a state.[2][3][4] This usage is analogous to what is called an "administration" in American English. Furthermore, especially in American English, the concepts of the state and the government may be used synonymously to refer to the person or group of people exercising authority over a politically organized territory.[5][6] Finally, government is also sometimes used in English as a synonym for governance. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislators, administrators, and arbitrators. Government is the means by which state policy is enforced, as well as the mechanism for determining the policy of the state. A form of government, or form of state governance, refers to the set of political systems and institutions that make up the organisation of a specific government. Government of any kind currently affects every human activity in many important ways. For this reason, political scientists generally argue that government should not be studied by itself; but s In political science, it has long been a goal to create a typology or taxonomy of polities, as typologies of political systems are not obvious.[7] It is especially important in the political science fields of comparative politics and international...
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...“A democracy can’t be strong if its citizenship is weak” (Galston 4). As more and more people in the U.S. stay home instead of going out to vote the only answer seems to be mandatory voting. Given all of the rights a U.S. citizen is given the least they could do is vote in government official elections and on significant laws and bills, and by making voting mandatory the United States can become a true democracy. In addition, if voting became mandatory then the poor and uneducated would get a voice in our government. However, many would argue, that with the right to vote comes the right not vote. In contrast, by no voting the people of the United States cannot choose what and who can uphold their rights and other personal liberties. Mandatory...
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