Are you looking for short notes on democracy for personal use or to help you study for a school test? Then you’ve come to the right place. Because I’m here to give you summarized revision notes on democracy.
In order to make it easy for you to follow the short notes on democracy you’re about to read, I’ll first give you the topics covered in this tutorial.
- The origin and meaning of democracy
- Direct democracy vs indirect democracy
- Responsible government
- Who is a representative in a democracy?
- The major elements of democratic governance
- Conditions necessary for the proper functioning of democracy
- How to ensure free and fair elections in a democracy
- Advantages of democracy
- Disadvantages of democracy
You can now go ahead and study the below short notes on democracy as a form of government.
Origin and Meaning of the Term, “democracy”
Democracy is derived from the Greek word demokratia, which means “rule by the people”.
It consists of the two root words demos, meaning “the people,” and kratos, meaning “power.”
One belief that formed the very foundation for democracy as practiced mainly in the ancient Greek city state of Athens is the term isonomia, which means “equality before the law.”
In other words, the rule of law was a key component of Greek democracy. And it still forms the bedrock of modern democracies around the world.
RAIDER OF THE TREASURE TROVE ANALYZED
The Important Role of the People in a Democracy
Today, we understand democracy to be a kind of government in which power lies with the people and originates from them.
Abraham Lincoln (16th President of the United States of America from 1861 to 1865) in his famous Gettysburg Address describes it as “government of the people, by the people and for the people”
The essential meaning of democratic government is government by the people
Thought Leaders on Democracy
Key writers on the concept of democracy include:
- D.D. Raphael (David Daiches Raphael): Problems of Political Philosophy
- John Stuart Mill
- A.V. Dicey
- John Locke
- Baron de Montesquieu
- Alexis de Tocqueville
Direct vs Indirect Democracy
Basically, there are two forms of democracy.
- Direct or classical democracy and
- Indirect or representative democracy
Modern forms of democracy are essentially indirect or representative in nature. They involve the indirect participation by the majority of those who are qualified to have a say in the affairs of their government.
Pure (direct or classical) democracy in which all citizens take part directly in the process of government is rare today. In fact, it is almost impossible except in a very small state like Athens (in classical Greece) over a short period of time.
Due to the growing size of the populations of modern states, it is difficult to have direct democracy.
In most democratic states, the ordinary citizen comes into the picture only by voting in favour of a representative or of the broad policy framework (manifesto) of a party
Decisions on specific issues are left to the body of elected representatives (legislature and/or executive).
Thus, what we have in reality today, in any democracy in the world, is a government by a few elected by the people as a whole and responsible to the people as a whole
WHY INDIRECT RULE SUCCEEDED IN NORTHERN NIGERIA
THE MEANING AND IMPORTANCE OF THE RULE OF LAW
Responsible or Accountable Government
Responsibility here means that the elected few must hold themselves accountable to the electorate who have given them their mandate to rule.
Thus, a government in a democracy can be thrown out of power at the next election and replaced by a different administration.
And, for that matter, democracy in the modern world means representative government. The democratic element consists of
- Popular elections and
- The Possibility of dismissal.
Who is a representative in a democracy?
Time, distance, etc, make impossible the working of the original idea of a representative as a person elected to express or reflect the views of his constituents.
In today’s democracies, therefore, a representative is not expected to be the mere mouthpiece of his constituents.
He or she is chosen, not as a mirror of electoral opinion in his/her constituency, but as a person of good judgment, knowledge, and expertise who could be trusted to make up his or her own mind and vote intelligently on the merit of whatever issue that may crop up in parliament.
Put differently, the representative is not a postman of majority views from his/her constituency. He or she is an individual considered to be smart enough to make intelligent decisions on behalf of those who elected him/her.
Edmund Burke drew a distinction between a delegate and a representative. A delegate mirrors the views of his constituents whilst a representative is elected to judge according to his own conscience.
Key Elements of Democratic Government
In this section of our short notes on democracy, we want to identify the major ideas that are embodied in the practice of democracy as a form of government.
- Government must be based on choice and consent: it must be popular and involve the people indirectly
- There should be rights and freedoms to be enjoyed
- General institutional arrangements in the democratic state must include the following
- Popular representation
- Constitutionalism
- the Rule of Law
- Universal Adult suffrage (one man, one vote)
- Franchise (the right to vote)
- Equality before the law
- Freedom of political association, of expression (speech), religion etc
- Independent Judiciary
- Separation of Powers and checks and Balances
In fact, the above criteria are general and their relevance varies from state to state. It has a lot to do with the peculiar nature and complexity of the institutions and the level of development attained by the particular state
Conditions Necessary for Democracy to Succeed
- Democratic institutions must be created. Also, participation in the political process must be popular: This provides the right medium through which the aspirations of the masses could be realized Of equal importance are the following.
- Office of an elected chief Executive (president or Prime Minster).
- The Ombudsman (Public Complaints Commission)
- Independent Judiciary whose pre-occupation must be to protect the fundamental rights and liberties of the people
2. Also, there must be universal adult suffrage (one-man-one-vote), a representative government, and parliament. This means elections must be free and fair.
How to Ensure Free and Fair Elections
- a proper up-to-date register of voters (also known as electoral roll)
- properly demarcated constituencies
- real choice between candidates and programmes/policies (as outlined in the party manifesto)
- Frequent elections
- absence of fear and /or intimidation
- Literate and knowledgeable (politically informed) electorate.
3. Parliament must be truly representative: Parliamentarians must feel free to discuss matters of common concern. The executive must accept the decisions of the people’s representatives.
4. Politically Educated (informed) Electorate: Democracy has a better chance to succeed if the majority of the people can read and write. There should also be a constant discussion of national issues in both the electronic and print media. This can ensure the expression and assessment of public opinion on pressing issues
5. Equitable Distribution of Wealth: Where there are great extremes of affluence and poverty, democracy cannot thrive.
6. Fundamental Unifying Forces: e.g. a common language, common nationality (race/tribe), common religion, etc. Democracy has a greater chance of success in homogenous societies devoid of sharp racial and linguistic differences.
7. Consensus Building: All stakeholders in a democracy should agree on the rules by which a state is generally governed. This would help avoid the situation where ethnic, religious, political, etc minorities are marginalized thereby causing tension, division, and political instability.
8. Tolerance: This makes it possible for varying opinions to be expressed on major national issues. Where people are forced to accept the views of others, one cannot reasonably speak of any democratic culture in the society
9 Unrestricted public access to social media. Social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter are increasingly becoming key players in democratic governance in recent times.
Advantages (Importance/Reasons) of Democracy
The advantages or reasons why it is good for a state to practice democracy shall form the subject matter of this part of your short notes on democracy.
Democracy has many benefits for the state and its citizens. Here are some major advantages of democracy in these short notes on democracy.
- Prevention of dictatorship
- Respect for individual rights
- Free and fair elections
- Peaceful change of government
- Smooth economic growth and development
- Majority decision-making
- Exchange of ideas and political education
Disadvantages of Democracy
Like everything else under the sun, democracy has got its drawbacks or disadvantages. So we shall devote this last section of our short notes on democracy to a summary of the criticisms against democracy.
- Democratic practice tends to be expensive. This is due to the fact that the competition involved required the spending of large sums of money and other resources on party campaigns, elections, and public education.
- Democracy can cause political instability. In parliamentary democracies, for example, governments tend to have a short life-span. Frequent votes of no convidence are partly responsible for this.
- It undermines national unity. Those who criticize liberal democracy are quick to point out that the multi-party system only divides the people. This is particularly true in multi-racial societies or countries with multiples of ethnic groups and languages.
- Democracy tends to engender corruption. Patronage, lobbying and the spending of big money are unavoidable features of democracy. This makes it easy for people with dubious motives and with monies coming from questionable sources to fnd their way into the corridors of power.
- Emergence of dangerous demagogues as national leaders. It is widely believed that the majority choice is not always the best for the country. History is replete with situations where demagogues rode on the back of their populist but dangerous ideas to win elections. And thereafter, they began to abuse power and trample on the rights of citizens. Adolf Hitler of Germany, for example came to power by winning democratic elections.
In conclusion
We have come to the end of the short notes on democracy. What points can you add to the disadvantages of democracy? Add them in the comment box below.
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