The Fundamental Aspects Upholding A Democratic Republic
Uploaded by kidzstreetball on Mar 11, 2013
The Fundamental Aspects Upholding A Democratic Republic
What key elements compose a democracy? What is required to run a successful democracy? To answer these questions, we must first answer: what is a democracy? Some define it as a specific orientation of politics for those in favor of a government by the people or elected representatives. According to Lincoln, democracy is a government "of the people, by the people, and for the people." (Lincoln). Freedom and democracy are often used interchangeably, but the two are not synonymous; it is indeed a set of ideas and principles about freedom, but it also consists of a set of practices and procedures that have been molded through a long, often tortuous history. In short, democracy is the establishment of freedom. Certain components distinguish democracy from other types of governance. This includes: people who have sovereignty, a government based upon consent of the governed, rulership of the majority, however serving to protect the rights of minorities--whether ethnic, religious, or political, or simply the losers in the debate over a piece of controversial legislation, guarantee of basic human rights for all, free and fair elections, equality before law, constitutional limits on the power of government, social, economic, and political pluralism, and values of tolerance, pragmatism, cooperation, and compromise (McGann). Although experiencing minor improvements in terms of democracy, progression of liberty for racial minorities, and improvement in voting conditions. These features make having a
democratic system preferable over a dictatorship or monarchy. People want to be involved and feel like they have a say in the matters of the nation.
It is clear now how a democracy differs from other types of government systems. However, what are the primary components that sustain democratic systems? The first one is Participation. Citizens under the oppressive rule of a tyrant will generally stay out of the tyrant’s way. Why question the ultimate authority? Democracy is built off the idea that everyone should be engaged; everyone can help shape the country to their preference. Everyone can do successful planning, decision making, and evaluation of the country’s needs and modify anything they don’t like. The government also gets clear feedback, increasing the efficiency of their job. What role does a government play in a democracy? To prevent too much power from getting into the hands of one person or a group of individuals, it is split into three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial....