...citizens rule.[1] The term derives from the Greek aristokratia, meaning "rule of the best".[2] In origin in Ancient Greece, it was conceived of as rule by the best qualified citizens, and contrasted with monarchy. In later times, aristocracy was usually seen as rule by a privileged group (the aristocratic class), and contrasted withdemocracy.[1] ------------------------------------------------- Concept The concept evolved in Ancient Greece, whereby a council of famous citizens was commonly used and contrasted with direct democracy in which a council of male citizens was appointed as their "senate". The Greeks did not like the concept of monarchy, and as their democratic system fell, aristocracy was upheld.[1] In Rome, the Republic consisted of an aristocracy as well as consuls, a senate, and a tribal assembly. Later, aristocracies primarily consisted of an elitearistocratic class, privileged by birth and often by wealth. Since the French Revolution, aristocracy has generally been contrasted with democracy, in which all citizens hold some form of political power. However this distinction is often oversimplified. In Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes describes an aristocracy as a commonwealth in which the representative of the citizens is an assembly by part. Simply put, a government when only a certain part of the general public can represent the public. Modern depictions of aristocracy regard it not as a legitimate aristocracy (rule by the best) but rather as a plutocracy (rule by the...
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...WHAT IS DEMOCRACY? Andrew Heywood The origins of the term 'democracy' can be traced back to Ancient Greece. Like other words ending in 'cracy' - autocracy, aristocracy, bureaucracy and so on -democracy is derived from the Greek word kratos, meaning 'power' or 'rule'. Democracy thus stands for 'rule by the demos', demos meaning 'the people', though it was originally taken to imply 'the poor' or 'the many'. However, the simple notion of 'rule by the people' does not get us very far. The problem with democracy has been its very popularity, a popularity that has threatened the term's undoing as a meaningful political concept. In being almost universally regarded as a 'good thing', democracy has come to used as little more than a 'hurrah! word', implying approval of a particular set of ideas or system of rule. Perhaps a more helpful starting point from which to consider the nature of democracy is provided by Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, delivered in 1864 at the height of the American Civil War. Lincoln extolled the virtues of what he called 'government of the people, by the people, and for the people'. What this makes clear is that democracy serves to link government to the people, but that this link can be forged in a number of ways - government of, by and for the people. Nevertheless, the precise nature of democratic rule has been the subject of fierce ideological and political debate. The next section will look at alternative models of democracy. For the...
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...Socialist "Democracy cannot consist solely of elections that are nearly always fictitious and managed by rich landowners and professional politicians." — Che Guevara, Marxist revolutionary Democracy is not only a political system… It is an ideal, an aspiration, really, intimately connected to and dependent upon a picture of what it is to be human—of what it is a human should be to be fully human. — Nikolas Kompridis Republic In contemporary usage, the term democracy refers to a government chosen by the people, whether it is direct or representative.[79] The term republic has many different meanings, but today often refers to a representative democracy with an elected head of state, such as a president, Definition While there is no universally accepted definition of 'democracy',[7] equality and freedom have both been identified as important characteristics of democracy since ancient times.[8] These principles are reflected in all citizens being equal before the law and having equal access to legislative processes. History of democracy Ancient origins Democracy has its formal origins in Ancient Greece,[3][20] but democratic practices are evident in earlier societies including Mesopotamia, Phoenicia and India.[21] The term Democracy first appeared in ancient Greek political and philosophical thought. The Greek city state of Athens, led by Cleisthenes, established what is generally held as the first democracy in 507 BCE. Middle Ages During the Middle Ages, there...
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...Philosophy paper choice 1 Democracy is considered as a normative goodness in contemporary society but it has been a contested topic throughout history. Recognizing and examining those critics of the past will instigate a firmer understanding of the concept. Hearing arguments against democracy will help establish a belief based on an informed conscious rather than blind acceptance. Both Plato and Aristotle were philosophers who scrutinized this form of government for different reasons, their ancient judgments still hold weight today and can be used to evaluate democracy as a whole. My thesis for this paper is that Plato offers a stronger criticism against democracy and Aristotle is a better friend to democracy by comparison. First to establish a similarity between the two philosophers would be the way in which they describe the origins of democracy. Plato starts by explaining how democracies emerge because of the decay of oligarchies. He claims that oligarchies will lead to a schism within the city, where one city becomes two, the city of the rich and the city of the poor.1 Since the poor faction contains the majority of the population, they will overpower the rich faction who are softened by their luxurious lives and cannot resist the poor. Aristotle defines democracy similarly as “where the poor rule”8 and how he defines the poor is when you combine “poverty with mass.”9 Plato asks “is not the transition from oligarchy to democracy brought about by…the necessity...
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...2014 Defining Democracy Democracy began in ancient Mesopotamia and continued on through classical Greece and Rome then towards the rise of Islamic civilization to the modern day in the United States. It has gone through its trials and tribulations to become what it is today and continues to change and grow. Democracy is defined in the Merriam Webster dictionary 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 " Also has been defined as a government "Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth." by our 16th president Abraham Lincoln. Elements that a government must have to be considered a democracy are that it must have a political system for electing and re-electing new officials for the government through free and fair elections. Furthermore, it needs an active participation of the citizens in politics and everyday life, all citizens must have protection of their human rights, and there has to be a rule of law, which is when the laws apply equally to all citizens. A government must comprise of all these elements in order to be called a legitimate democracy. Elections are key for a democracy. Elections provide the citizens of that country an opportunity to choose someone they accept in the given office and it also gives them a right to freedom of choice. Democracy is the freedom of...
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...history, democracies have been the exception rather than the norm. In the present day world, about 60 percent of the world's nations are democracies. Other nations have rulers assigned by heredity or have used the military to take leadership by force or rule by wealth or charisma. There are however, fundamental benefits of a democracy. The main benefit of democracy is that every adult person regardless of race, religious belief or gender has the same political rights as each other. People living in a democratic society are protected from oppression by laws and limits on governmental power. Democratic governments put laws into place to protect their citizens and to ensure a safe and fair society. The people who lead a democratic country have to obey the same laws as everyone else. Democracy is a form of government in which all eligible citizens participate equally—either directly or indirectly through elected representatives—in the proposal, development, and creation of laws. It encompasses social, religious, cultural, ethnic and racial equality, justice, liberty and fraternity. The quest for democracy in Bangladesh is moving in circles. The country gained its independence through both the democratic process and through war. During the four decades of its existence as a nation-state it has endured spells of military and non-military rules. Of the latter all were not elected. The elected governments seemed to betray superficial practices of democracy. In Bangladesh...
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...Essay on The Dangers of Democracy In a democratic political system, the ultimate power is before a body of citizens who has the power to elect their representatives. At one point, James Madison described American democracy, in comparison to that of Athens, as “lies in the entirety segregation of the people in their collective capacity.” Thus, Madison feared that common factions turn tyrannical, hence threatening liberty. On the other hand, Centinel argued that the government should not be taken away from the people, as this lead to oppressive to their liberty as well as unresponsive to their needs. According to my viewpoint, I concur with Madison that too much democracy is dangerous. Thus, there is need to control the degree of democracy in political governance. The paper will be focusing on evaluating why too much democracy can be dangerous, and the precautions that should be undertaken to respond to the primary danger without falling to the other dangerous tendency. Democratic form of government accords people an added advantage as it incorporates their ideas into the system of governance. However, despite this advantage, foolish notions can seize it (Kishore 1-5). Any organization in which democracy rules i.e. Majority of members or citizens can pass rules and laws, which suit them, without considering other group members who must adapt to the laws and rules they enact. Judgment is crucial in distinguishing laws, which are reasonable and sensible, from those that are undemocratic...
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...INTRODUCTION Democracy as we all are aware of is a concept though which some people believe is inherent in the African culture and others believe that it is an ideology of the west which actually got it root from the old Greece. Either or not the idea or from the west of Africa is not the bone of contention here but, if this idea of democracy has actually done well in helping the development of the African person or society or it has done otherwise. Francis Offor idea in this article is to explain to us how democracy is an issue in African philosophy for the reason of improper practice of the ideology which has cost Africa much in terms of development of its people and society at large because it is applied in a manner that does not tally with the African way of democratization. Here he(Francis) also mentioned that such would have been better for all if it is applied in conformity with the cultural setting of the African and not in the westernized sense, because the idea of democracy and it effectiveness depends on the culture of one place or the other. He explained how democracy instead of building the African society has brought it down because of it improper application. But before we move to full details on how Francis explain this in his article let us take a look at the general meaning of the word democracy. WHAT IS DEMOCRACY? Democracy according to Wikipedia is a form of government in which eligible citizens may participate equally- either directly by voting for the...
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...What Democracy Is Modern Political Democracy – is a system of governance in which the rulers are held accountable for their actions in the public realm by citizens, acting indirectly through the competition and cooperation of their elected representatives. 1. System of Governance – is an ensemble of patterns that determines the method of access to the principal public offices which includes but not limited to: * Characteristics of Actors admitted to or excluded from such access. * Strategies that actors may use to gain access * The rules followed in the making of publicly binding decisions Note: To work properly, the ensemble must be institutionalized – that is to say, the various patterns must be habitually known, practiced, and accepted by most, if not, all actors. Furthermore, the preferred mechanism of institutionalization is a written body of laws undergirded by a written constitution or any other informal or traditional basis. * These forms, characteristics and rules are bundled together and given a generic label e.g. democratic, autocratic, despotic, dictatorial, tyrannical, totalitarian, monarchic, aristocratic, etc… 2. Rulers – persons who occupy specialized authority roles and can give legitimate commands to others. What distinguishes democratic rulers with others are the norms and conditions of how the former came to powerand the practices that hold them accountable for their actions. 3. Public Realm – encompasses the...
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...Chapter three Governmental and legal systems CHINA COMPLICATED RIS, BIG OPPORTUNITIES During its thirty years of communist rule, China prohibited foreign investment and restricted foreign trade. Then, China enacted the Law on Joint Ventures using Chinese and Foreign Investment in 1978. China’s subsequent transformation has been fueled by a landslide of foreign investments made in response to the country’s market potential, market performance, improved infrastructure, enormous resources, and strategic position. Frustrating this process, however, have been the politics of China’s elaborate bureaucracy, as well as its ill-defined legal system and pervasive corruption. Historically China has relied upon “the rule of man” and the belief that legal rights are derived from the power of the individual. Upon joining the WTO, China agreed to continue to reform its business environment and to move toward transparent, rules based, enforcement-oriented standards. But the business reality is far from the WTO obligations specifically in the continued controversy over the protection of intellectual property. Chinese enterprises are themselves becoming global investors, both by acquiring foreign firms and investing in foreign lands. INTRODUCTION For a multinational enterprise to succeed in countries with different political and legal environments, its management must carefully analyze the fit between its corporate policies and the political and legal conditions of each particular nation...
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...in reference to the Arabs’ protests for democracy overtime. The articles are a response to the mass action taken by various Arabs worldwide after the throw of despondent rulers such as Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak, Yemen’s Ali Abdullah Saleh and Libya’s Muammar Ghadafi. The two articles attempt to delve deep into the consequences of such historical actions, drawing precedence from nations such as Turkey and Lebanon. Khalidi and Rozenman are both keen on the influence of a new democracy in the Arab nations and the impact that such “fresh rule” would have on the society; especially the Arab and Western worlds. The Arab world as a better place Khalidi (2011) is keen on stating that the Arab world has become a better place. This, he says, is due to the ability of Arab countries to shake themselves loose from the shackles of dictatorship that have bound them over the years. Evidence of this could be seen through the positive press coverage that Arab countries are getting from the west. Rozenman is, however, of a different opinion. He opines that the end of autocracy in the Arab world is something worthwhile. Despite the downfall of the despots in Egypt, Syria and Lybia; the democracy model that the said countries are eager to develop would be retrogressive. He further writes that Arab democracy drawn from Islamist ideas ,which are Anti-western and anti-Jew, would only impact society negatively. The Arab nations tend to draw examples on democracy from very wanting corners. The Turkish model...
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...the advantages and disadvantages of different types of political regimes. Aristotle looked at monarchies, aristocracies, polities, tyrannies, oligarchies, and democracies. In his examination, he proposed an explanation of what his best regime would be. While Aristotle admitted that none of the regimes could match his best regime, it can be argued that the polity is the best regime out of the ones that Aristotle studied. The polity provides the greatest regime because it is an indistinguishable mix of democratic and oligarchic elements that works towards the benefit of both the masses and the wealthy, which promotes the middling effect of Aristotle’s best regime. Aristotle’s best regime is one that mimics what he describes as the best way of life. He defines the ideal way of life as living virtuously. He likens this virtue to a mean that is attainable by every type of person. This lifestyle can also be adapted to the regime of a city (Book 4, Chapter 11, Segment 3, pp.114). Aristotle proposes that finding the virtuous mean in a political community is the way to achieve the best regime. A balance needs to be found in a regime that takes into account all factions. It cannot stray too far to one extreme or the next. A strong middle class is the best way to counteract these extremes. He points to an overpowering democracy or oligarchy as the path...
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...Indonesia as a Democracy A democracy is described as a government in which power and civic responsibility are shared by all citizens over the age 18, directly, or through elected individuals. Democracy functions based on majority rule and individual rights (Lord 2008). According to Dahl, there are five criteria that a country must meet to be considered democratic. He argues that a country must have inclusion, control of the agenda, enlightened understanding, effective participation, and voting equality at the decision stage (Dahl 1989). In addition to Dahl’s criteria, there are a number of other characteristics that make a country democratic. A democratic government allows adult citizens to elect their representatives - essentially the ability to fire and hire the representatives. Another important aspect in the democratic system is that majority rules in the election process, but individual rights are still protected. Next, a democracy must have individual rights. These rights include things such as freedom of religion and equal protection under the law. Another main criteria for a democratic country is free and fair elections. Free and fair elections must be held regularly for all levels of government with the opportunity to vote given to each adult citizen. For a country to be considered democratic, it must have citizen participation. Citizen participation is the key to democracy, with citizens having the right to express themselves and vote. Citizens living in a democratic...
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...Converting Afghanistan into a democracy should be a major priority of the United States for many reason, one being, it would open up trade with the country. Democratic states tend to be more open to trade, trade to a greater extent, and have less trade barriers. This is because democratically elected leaders open up trade as it benefits the people they govern, which boosts their popularity1. Afghanistan is one of the wealthiest countries when natural resources are considered. Recently, large veins of valuable minerals such as copper, iron, and gold have been discovered across the country. It is estimated that Afghanistan also sits on nearly 5 trillion cubic feet of natural gas reserves2. Afghanistan also supplies the world with nearly 90 percent of all opium supplies which is used to create painkillers and heroin for medical purposes3. The wealth of Afghanistan is important to the United States as 12 percent of US natural gas reserves are imported and consumption of natural gas in the US is expected to increase by 11 percent by the year 20304. The United States imports 100 percent of 18 select minerals such as aluminum and magnesium, and imports 50 percent of 41 other minerals such as cobalt and copper5. If the United States managed to convert Afghanistan into a democracy, it would allow them to reap the benefits of their abundance of resources6. The attacks on US soil on 9/11 were conducted by a terror group known as al Qaeda. Al Qaeda is one of the more dominant terrorist...
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...Abstract In this paper, we will look into the relationship between democracy and economic development. The paper opens with a brief look into the importance of economic development, and then looks into democracy and its elements and how they factor into the growth of the economy, with some hypotheses from specialists of the field. Cases of economic growth in non-democratic countries are also delved into, namely the case of China. There the paper analyzes what results in economic growth in the absence of democracy. In the end we come to a conclusion on the matter, whether or not democracy is a necessity for economic growth. Economic development is one of the core priorities of any given state, regardless of regime or position in the international...
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