...Professor McBride ENG 090 05 April 2011 Democratization Processes in Post-War Germany Germany’s first attempt at democracy occurred under the government of the Weimar Republic. It was unsuccessful for several reasons; it was forced under uncertain defeat, and the population had little faith in democracy. Democratization after World War II was a completely different scenario, and it flourished due to international support and the willingness of the German people to assimilate to a democratic government. The Treaty of Versailles negotiated the terms of defeat for Germany after the First World War. The Weimar Republic, established in 1919, was a democratic government with parliamentary and federal systems. Frank Wilson indicates that the Weimar Republic looked great on paper and appeared to contain important features for democracy to succeed. For example, the constitution offered extensive rights and universal suffrage (128). “However, in practice the Weimar Republic was a failure. Reparation costs placed on Germany by the Versailles Treaty were astronomical” (Goldman 1). These demands were designed to punish them, and blame was placed entirely on Germany for causing the war. In additions to reparations, Germany had to concede much of its territory. Inflation further disabled the economy. Democracy was thus viewed as being detrimental to economic growth. The constitution also had its weaknesses. “First, it allowed for broad emergency...
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...both philosophers from Greece who criticized democracy as a poor form of government. Plato is regarded as the first writer of political philosophy, and Aristotle is recognized as the first political scientist. These two men were great political thinkers. There are a lot of differences between the two even though Aristotle was a great student of Plato. They each had ideas of how to improve existing societies during their individual lifetimes. It is necessary to look at several areas of each theory to seek the difference in each. Plato’s thoughts on democracy were that it causes the corruption of people through public opinion and creates rulers who do not actually knowhow to rule but only know how to influence the “beast” which is the Demos, the public. Aristotle’s views about democracy hold that democratic office will cause corruption in the people, if the people choose to redistribute the wealth of the rich they will end up destroying the state and since the people have no knowledge about governance when they elect rulers they will err. The “Republic” of Plato created a country with strict hierarchy. It has a rigorous legal system and a sound education system. All public good, servicers and desires are controlled by the country. It has its own advantages such as the idealized organized national order, and discussion of country’s justice and individual’s justice;, but it also has its shortcomings, for instance, the discordance between spiritual pursuit and basic material demand...
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...the American Government is a republic, few have asserted that republicanism was the political ideology behind the American Revolution. The legacies of the American Revolution is for the defending the revolution against the British to secure independence and to set forth an ethical character for a new Republic. Most importantly, they all envisioned an equal society and individual freedom through the American Revolution. Americans achieved American Revolution from a sincere patriotism. For example, Richard Allen who became the founding pastor of the Bethel African...
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...States of America is not a Democracy Many people think of the United States government as a democracy, but on the contrary the United States is more of a Republic than a Democracy. A Democratic government is a type of government which allows the people to have a voice for their self interests, and voting for things that the majority wants, in brief words the “majority rule”. The United States is said to be a democratic nation, but are we really that type of government? The answer is no because as a “democratic country” the people don’t vote directly for the things we want. In this paper I will be discussing key points on why the United States is not a democracy. The people of the United States elect representatives who help create laws that fit best for the interest of the people. This goes for the democrats as well, but the republican government has a difference. If the United States was actually a democratic nation, then the people or the majority would be able to vote and not be restrained from the government in any way. On the other hand the United States government goes by the law and can’t take away the right of the minority which leans more to the republican government. As an example, in a democracy if the majority wanted to vote on whether there can only be a certain religion like Christianity, the minority wouldn’t be able to practice a religion other than Christianity, because the majority has the power to do that if it were a democracy. Another reason is The United...
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...The Roman Republic to some extent was a democracy. While the Roman Republic was not as democratic as the United states is today, there are many things that you would have been different in ancient Rome to make it a true democracy. The Roman Republic was democratic in the way that they allowed the citizens of Rome to vote and they had a constitution that they followed; however, they weren't in the aspect such as they allowed slavery. All though they weren’t too liberal with many aspects they still allowed the poor to vote as long as they were in Rome. Citizens would have to travel to the city of Rome in order to vote. So many of the roman citizens wouldn’t, or couldn’t travel to the city of Rome to vote. As a result only 2% of all roman citizens...
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...the most commonly-studied include the republic, the absolute government, and the democracy. Each of these three governmental systems have unique factors that allow them to be preferred over one another; each one has served as a viable system of government for societies in years past. However, when creating a new system of government in a given state, the republic is the ideal system of government to ensure the fairest treatment for all citizens, moving most closely to equality and justice and protecting basic liberties for all. Generally speaking, the Republic is a system that views the government as a public entity, not a private one; rather than consolidating power in the hands of a few select individuals, the responsibility for leadership falls to the members of a given society. While this type of government can include the vast majority of individuals, such as in a democracy, it can also be restricted to just a select few individuals, such as in an aristocracy or oligarchy. In comparison to the absolute government, though, the Republic works to disseminate power more readily to more individuals, ensuring that individuals are protected from the abuses of power that can occur when rule is passed on from one solitary individual to another, often through hereditary elements (Mayer, 2005). When comparing the concept of a democracy to that of the republic, there is a great deal in common between the two. John Adams wrote that a republic is “an Empire of Laws, and not of men...
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...regions and time and circumstance. Due to its nature, democracy is best fit in terms of incentives. Moreover, it is in a state’s vested interest in terms of democracy to adhere to gradual democratic change, in contrast to a political overhaul such as we see in Germany, France, and Italy. In these cases, democracy simply cannot thrive as democracy, by nature, requires gradual social change and must overcome bargaining costs and stabilizing change. The evidence that stands today, tested by the outcomes of history, maintains exactly this: democratic transition must be slow and concessional, thus mitigating the exit costs and cost of unilateral decisions or actions in terms of bargaining. Moreover, the difference between a stable and unstable democracy does not depend on education, economics, nor the middle class; rather, the success and stability of a democracy is formulated vis-à-vis it’s institutional factors. (Magagna 2/18). As actors, states are indeed rational and thus adhere to cost-benefit analyses in terms of bargaining power. In this analysis of political instability, it is evident that the sources are as follows: the potential benefits of transition exceed the costs of bargaining, fragmented party support creates a democratic deficit, linkage between democracy and redistribution, and the integration of violence unravels the social peace democracy needs to survive. These aspects of the degradation of democracy and consequential transition are most observable in post-war...
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...The Basic Law or Grundgesetz for the Federal Republic of Germany was approved on 8 May 1949, and, with the signature of the western Allies of World War 2 on 12 May, came into effect on 23 May. The authors also ensured that human rights and human dignity was made the central and core part of the Basic Law. Key concepts in the basic law are principles of democracy, republicanism, federalism and social responsibility. These principles are constitutionally entrenched and they cannot be removed or repealed by the normal amendment process. Firstly this essay will look into what lead to the development of the new Basic Law and how the new parliamentary democracy was put into place with separation of powers into different branches of government. Secondly the essay will examine what were the specific changes from pre-1945 Germany and if which areas these changes were most visible. Here it will be important to look at the fundamentally differences from the Weimar Constitution, but also what the new Basic Law chose to keep from the Weimar Constitution. And why the authors of the Basic law felt that this was the safest way to construct a good state for all Germans where the sins of the past would never be repeated. In 1948 the three Western Allied military governors met in Frankfurt with the chief executive of the various states and “recommended” the calling of a constituent assembly by September 1, 1948, which was to draft a constitution for the three Western zones. None of the state...
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...Raven Williams 10/2/2012 History of Political Thoughts TR 1:00pm Dr. Andrew Douglas Plato’s Plea Against Democracy Democracy is defined as a government by the people that exercise their rights through the elected officials and ruled by the majority. The written dialogues of Socrates by Plato take into account that democracy is actually inefficient and undermines the true values of their citizens. Plato’s best known and comprehensive work is the Republic. He criticized democracy as an inadequate form of government because it caused corruption of people through public opinions and created rulers whose main concern it to the ability to influence its citizen rather than being knowledgeable of proper rulership. Therefore, this government is capable of molding the perception and ideas of the citizens. According to Plato, democratic governance is a poor form of government due to the focus on self-interest rather than the welfare of society as a whole. In this essay, Plato’s background, views on politics will be presented first; then, his in-depth opinion of democracy and what he believed to be an ideal society. Plato wrote, in his autobiography Seventh Letter, that he could not identify himself with any political parties because they were heavily engage in corrupted activities. However, it was due to the execution of Socrates that provided Plato with the assurance that the existing governments were fallacious without any possible reparation. He perceived politics as unhealthy and...
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...To demonstrate this claim, King Darius (Persia), talked about multiple things in Behistun Inscription, but one stood out. In one part, King Darius talks about alliances. In the document, it states, “Within these lands, whosoever was a friend, him have I surely protected…”. This excerpt shows similarity between ancient and modern politics because in countries like the United States of America, we have alliances with countries like France and Great Britain. With those alliances, America has promised to aid and assist those countries if there have ever had issues with other regions, the same thing King Darius was declaring in this document. Another similarity between ancient politics and modern politics is the idea of democracy. In the Funeral Oration of Pericles, it states “ It is true that we are called a democracy, for administration is in the hands of many and not of the few…”. This quote talks about its democracy and how not only is power given to the those who have a high-status, but to the common people as well. This is a similarity because in America, it is a constant reminder that the power is in the people. In the preamble of the Constitution, the phrase “We the people…” displays popular sovereignty, the ideology that the power comes from the citizens of...
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...occupied by the allies between the years 1945-1949 (point zero), the subsequent rift between the capitalist allies (Britain, France and America) and the communist allies (Russia) formed two opposing democratic Germany’s; The Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and the German Democratic Republic (GDR). This is significant, due to foreign powers controlling Germany’s political system, as well as the departure from Sonderweg, meaning Germany no longer followed a unique path of development and that nationalism and militarism were on the decline. The significance of the previous German eras, Kaiser Reich (Semi-Autocratic Empire), Weimar Republic (Federal Democracy) and the Third Reich (Dictatorship) are also significant, however in political terms they are not as significant as post 45. The significances of post 1945 can be seen by its success of creating a working democracy in Germany after 1945, the FRG. One reason why the FRG was successful revolves around the sudden decline in German militarism and nationalism. This is evident in the fact that the FRG’s constitution was based on the Weimar Republics concept of ‘Grundgesetz’, which means basic law. The implications of this is evident in that German nationalism after WW2 no longer believing in Sonderweg after the defeat of the Third Reich. This caused the abhorrence towards western democracy (being seen as weak and disorderly) to fade and in turn allowed the Germans to become more open towards the ideas of democracy and made them see...
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...Comparison of Political Parties The United States lives in a republic government, which is molded around a democracy. Within a democracy, there is a constitution which allows the citizens freedoms and rights. Within a democracy, the people have the choice in who represents them for an allotted time period. During this time those elected to office, make decisions on behalf of those who they represent. The purpose of this paper is to discuss three quotes given that are provided by three political parties, this paper will identify which party those quotes derived from. Next this paper will discuss the differences between conservatism, classical liberalism, and socialism. Unlike a democracy, conservatism, classical liberalism, and socialism have three different outlooks on the operation of how the government should operate. The first quote is; “We believe in the power and opportunity of America’s free-market economy. We believe in the importance of sensible business regulations that promote confidence in our economy among consumers, entrepreneurs and businesses alike” (CCRCC, 2012). The quote comes from the national Republican Party. The second quote; “our way we need to modernize and reform our economy for the long term, to deliver fairness at home, more competitiveness abroad, and strong regional growth” this quote comes from President Barrack Obama, which is related to the Democratic Party (Whitehouse, 2012). The third quote is; “Individuals should be free to make choices for...
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...learn quite a few key points in history I was not aware of. For one it appears that much of early America and Europe are in turmoil as there are several distinct conflicts that arise; most based on difference of opinion or beliefs. “The political fate of North America also remained in question, as the English, the French, and the Indians continued to struggle for supremacy over the continent; developments during the half-century after 1700 intensified both social diversity and political uncertainty, resulting in an increasing incidence of violent conflict.” I feel young Americas early development was all over the place as all its settlers were trying to figure out what worked best for themselves. Everything from religion, difference in opinion on the subject of slavery, and enlightenment had early Americans at each other throats. Even though a centuries worth of settlement had elapsed, no one seemed to legitimately “settle”. I feel like early Americans were over zealous; everyone had their own idea of how things should work in the new land and no one could make up their mind or settle on one image. This is to be expected in my opinion as there were those still faithful to backcountry beliefs, English immigrants, who contradicted with non-English immigrants ideals. It was that difference in beliefs that had drew cause for conflict and war. Britain tried to choke hold Americans into submission by deriving the many taxation acts that would bind Americans to their parent...
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...Chapter 6 Electoral College Assignment Explain the electoral college and its purpose as presented in the videos posted in the "Lecture and Video" tab. Do you think the electoral college is effective? Why? Yes I do believe the Electoral College is effective. I think the Electoral College is one of the most elegant systems in our republic. The key word here is republic and not democracy. We are not a true democracy in the sense that we are ruled by the will of the majority, but rather we are a constitutional republic that employs democratic methods. We have systems that check and balance power between the 3 branches of government, between states and the federal government and balance between majority rule and the rights of the minority. The people who are against the Electoral College are popularists. Meaning one vote per voter and the majority wins. This I believe ignores the right of the minority. If you want to abolish the Electoral College because it misrepresents votes, than why not abolish 2 senators for each state? Wyoming has as many senators as California has. The Senate has tremendous power in the legislature as the upper house. It can start legislation or it is the final deliberating body before a piece of legislation goes to the president’s desk. But it does not equally represent all the people, it represents the states. Also, even the congress has votes that require more than 50% to pass laws. Why? If a majority agrees, majority should win...
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...In modern politics, a state is an association which has control over a geographic area or territory. States are seen as having three main pieces: * A territory * A people * Some institutions (which have the power to make rules). There are different forms of government a state can have, for example a republic or a monarchy. Sometimes states form their own countries. At other times many states work together to form a country (like the United States). Most states also have armed forces, civil service, law and police. Politics is the way that people living in groups make decisions. Politics is about making agreements between people so that they can live together in groups such astribes, cities, or countries. In large groups, such as countries, some people may spend a lot of their time making such agreements. These people are calledpoliticians. Politicians, and sometimes other people, may get together to form a government. The study of politics in universities is called political science, political studies, or public administration. In everyday life, the term "politics" refers to the way that countries are governed, and to the ways that governments make rules and laws. But politics can also be seen in other groups, too, such as in big companies, schools and churches. A territory (plural: territories, from the word terra, which means 'land') is an area which belongs to a person, organization, institution, animal, nation or state. Ininternational law, a "territory"...
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