The Process of Democracy
A democracy is a government in which people vote for their leaders and representatives, and have the right to protest against injustice or corruption. It is also a society in which all citizens are treated equally, regardless of wealth or power. In addition, democracy tries to make sure that all its citizens are protected by the law and have access to basic services. Democracy is a very complex system and there are many difficulties in the process of building it.
There is much debate about what exactly defines a democracy. Some democratic theorists believe that democracy requires a collection of attitudes and values, such as tolerance of diversity, a belief in mutual trust, a willingness to compromise and cooperate, a commitment to freedom and equality, and a respect for past and future generations. These are often referred to as ‘democratic values’. Other scholars think that the most important factor in democratization is the formation of a democratic political culture, which is a set of attitudes and values that promotes democracy and makes it more likely to succeed.
Democratization is a complex and long-term process. The transition to a democracy is often a chaotic and conflictual period, which may be followed by a phase of consolidation, during which the new democratic institutions and procedures are made more stable and robust. The stability of a democracy is often a matter of balance between the competing interests of different groups in society.
There are also debates about how and why a country becomes democratic. Some argue that a combination of structural and institutional factors makes it more likely that a country will become democratic. Others take the view that a democratic process is inextricably linked to economic development and education. There is no agreement about which approach is more correct, but there is general agreement that a country cannot successfully become democratic without the participation of civil society.
Another area of general agreement is that the success of a democracy depends on the strength of support for it from all segments of the population. This support must be demonstrated by both the citizens through their votes and all other times of the year, and the politicians by their willingness to play by the rules and work to improve the lives of all their constituents. Finally, there is widespread recognition that democracy can be destroyed by abuse of power – when leaders treat the citizens unfairly and use public funds to gain advantages for themselves. To prevent this, there must be strong laws to protect against corruption and other forms of abuse. This is a challenging task, which has not yet been fully achieved in all countries. Despite the challenges, democracy is becoming increasingly accepted as an ideal of good governance and is a growing phenomenon in the world. The number of states that qualify as democracies has increased fivefold since the end of World War II. Consequently, there are now more people living under democratic rule in the world than ever before.
A democracy is a government in which people vote for their leaders and representatives, and have the right to protest against injustice or corruption. It is also a society in which all citizens are treated equally, regardless of wealth or power. In addition, democracy tries to make sure that all its citizens are protected by the law and have access to basic services. Democracy is a very complex system and there are many difficulties in the process of building it. There is much debate about what exactly defines a democracy. Some democratic theorists believe that democracy requires a collection of attitudes and values, such as tolerance of diversity, a belief in mutual trust, a willingness to compromise and cooperate, a commitment to freedom and equality, and a respect for past and future generations. These are often referred to as ‘democratic values’. Other scholars think that the most important factor in democratization is the formation of a democratic political culture, which is a set of attitudes and values that promotes democracy and makes it more likely to succeed. Democratization is a complex and long-term process. The transition to a democracy is often a chaotic and conflictual period, which may be followed by a phase of consolidation, during which the new democratic institutions and procedures are made more stable and robust. The stability of a democracy is often a matter of balance between the competing interests of different groups in society. There are also debates about how and why a country becomes democratic. Some argue that a combination of structural and institutional factors makes it more likely that a country will become democratic. Others take the view that a democratic process is inextricably linked to economic development and education. There is no agreement about which approach is more correct, but there is general agreement that a country cannot successfully become democratic without the participation of civil society. Another area of general agreement is that the success of a democracy depends on the strength of support for it from all segments of the population. This support must be demonstrated by both the citizens through their votes and all other times of the year, and the politicians by their willingness to play by the rules and work to improve the lives of all their constituents. Finally, there is widespread recognition that democracy can be destroyed by abuse of power – when leaders treat the citizens unfairly and use public funds to gain advantages for themselves. To prevent this, there must be strong laws to protect against corruption and other forms of abuse. This is a challenging task, which has not yet been fully achieved in all countries. Despite the challenges, democracy is becoming increasingly accepted as an ideal of good governance and is a growing phenomenon in the world. The number of states that qualify as democracies has increased fivefold since the end of World War II. Consequently, there are now more people living under democratic rule in the world than ever before.