Friday, December 17, 2021

Essays about democracy

Essays about democracy



This should be an eye-opener for all right thinking democrats. The major drawback of democracy is that its accent of emphasis is on quantity rather than quality and thereby democracy imposes the tyranny of the brute majority. Democratic socialism, on the other hand, is not opposed to liberal democracy and at times the two are almost the same. With time, the simple definition of democracy has evolved to include other principles like equality, essays about democracy accountability, rights of the citizens and to an extent, values of liberty and justice, essays about democracy. In the absence of selfless devotion to the public good, democracy is maimed.





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The oldest account of democracy can be traced back to — BCC Athens. Today there are over 50 different types of democracy across the world. But, what is the ideal form of democracy? Why is democracy considered the epitome of freedom and rights around the globe? Can you answer these questions in under 5 minutes? Take the Ultimate GK Quiz to find out! Democracy is a form of government in which the final authority essays about democracy deliberate and decide essays about democracy legislation for the country lies with the people, either directly or through representatives. Within a democracy, the method of decision-making, and the demarcation of citizens vary among countries.


However, some fundamental principles of democracy include the rule of law, essays about democracy, inclusivity, political deliberations, essays about democracy, voting via electionsetc. Must Explore: Human Rights Courses for Students. Democracy where people make decisions for the country is the only known form of governance in the world that promises to inculcate principles of equality, essays about democracy, liberty and justice. The democratic system is usually of two types, the presidential system, and the parliamentary system. In India, the three pillars of democracy, namely legislature, executive and judiciary, working independently and still interconnected, along with a free press and media provides a structure for a truly functional essays about democracy. Despite the longest written constitution incorporating values of sovereignty, socialism, essays about democracy, secularism etc.


India, like other countries, still faces challenges like corruption, bigotry, oppression of certain communities and thus, struggles to stay true to its democratic ideals. Did you know: Some of the richest countries in the world are democracies! Must Read : Consumer Rights in India. With time, the simple definition of democracy has evolved to include other principles like equality, political accountability, rights of the citizens and to an extent, values of liberty and justice. Across the globe, representative democracies are widely prevalent, however, there is a major variation on how democracies are practised. The major two types of representative democracy are presidential and parliamentary forms of democracy. Moreover, not all those who present themselves as a democratic republic follow its values.


Many countries have legally deprived some communities to live with dignity and protect their liberty, or are practising authoritarian rule through majoritarianism or populist leaders. Despite this, one of the things that are central and basic to all is the practice of elections and voting. However, even in such a case, the principles of universal adult franchise and practice of free and fair elections are theoretically essential but very limited in practice, for a democracy. Unlike several other nations, India is still, at least constitutionally and principally, a practitioner of an ideal democracy. With our three organs of the government, namely legislative, executive and judiciary, the constitutional rights to citizens, multiparty system, laws to curb discrimination and spread the virtues of equality, protection to minorities, and a space for people to essays about democracy, debate and dissent, India has shown a commitment towards democratic values.


In recent times, essays about democracy, with challenges to freedom of speech, rights of minority groups and a conundrum between protection of diversity and unification of the country, the debate about the preservation of democracy has become vital to public discussion. Did you know: In countries like Brazil, essays about democracy, Scotland, Switzerland, Argentina, Austria the minimum voting age is 16 years! Also Read: Difference Between Democracy and Dictatorship. Majorly, it is either direct democracy where citizens deliberate and make legislation while in representative democracy, they choose government officials on their behalf, like in a parliamentary or presidential democracy.


The presidential system like in the USA has the President as the head of the country and the government, while the parliamentary system like in UK and India has both a Prime Minister derives its legitimacy from a parliament and even has a nominal head like a monarch or a President. The notions and essays about democracy frameworks of democracy have evolved with time. At the core, lies the idea of political discussions and negotiations. In essays about democracy to its alternatives like monarchy, anarchy, oligarchy etc. The ideas of equality, political representation to all, active public participation, the inclusion of dissent, and most importantly, the authority to the law by all makes it an attractive option for citizens to prefer, and countries to follow.


The largest democracy in the world, essays about democracy, India with the lengthiest constitution has tried and to an extent, successfully achieved in incorporating the framework to be a functional democracy, essays about democracy. It is a parliamentary democratic republic where the President is head of the state and the Prime minister is head of the government. It works on essays about democracy functioning of three bodies, namely legislative, executive, essays about democracy, and judiciary. Essays about democracy including the principles of a sovereign, socialist, secular and democratic republic, and undertaking the essays about democracy to establish equality, liberty and justice, in the preamble itself, India shows true dedication to achieving the ideal.


It has formed a structure that allows people to enjoy their rights, fight against discrimination or any other form of suppression, and protect their rights as well. The ban on all and any form of discrimination, an independent judiciary, governmental accountability to its citizens, freedom of media and press, secular values are some common values shared by all types of democracies. Across the world, countries have tried rooting their constitution with the principles of democracy. However, essays about democracy, the reality is different. Even though elections are conducted everywhere, mostly, they lack freedom of choice and fairness. Despite the consensus on democracy as the best form of government, the journey to achieve true democracy is both painstaking and tiresome.


Did you know: Countries like Singapore, Peru, and Brazil have compulsory voting! Must Read: Democracy and Diversity Class 10 Notes. Hope you learned from our essay on democracy! For more exciting articles related to writing and education, follow Leverage Edu on FacebookYoutubeInstagramand LinkedIn. Leave a Reply Cancel reply. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, essays about democracy, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. One app for all your study abroad needs Download x. One app for all your study abroad needs Know More x.


One app for all your study abroad needs. Start your journey, track your progress, grow with the community and so much more. Scan QR Code to Download Leverage Edu App. E Essay. This Blog Includes: What is Democracy? Sample Essay on Democracy Words Sample Essay on Democracy to words Sample Essay on Democracy words. Leave a Essays about democracy Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Take the first step today. Talk to an expert. You May Also Like. Read More 15 minute read. E English. Is it something that matters in the preparation for competitive exams? Read More 7 minute read. Writing a captivating and thoughtful speech requires one to select a good topic, research it thoroughly and formation….


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Did you know: Some of the richest countries in the world are democracies! Must Read : Consumer Rights in India. With time, the simple definition of democracy has evolved to include other principles like equality, political accountability, rights of the citizens and to an extent, values of liberty and justice. Across the globe, representative democracies are widely prevalent, however, there is a major variation on how democracies are practised. The major two types of representative democracy are presidential and parliamentary forms of democracy. Moreover, not all those who present themselves as a democratic republic follow its values. Many countries have legally deprived some communities to live with dignity and protect their liberty, or are practising authoritarian rule through majoritarianism or populist leaders.


Despite this, one of the things that are central and basic to all is the practice of elections and voting. However, even in such a case, the principles of universal adult franchise and practice of free and fair elections are theoretically essential but very limited in practice, for a democracy. Unlike several other nations, India is still, at least constitutionally and principally, a practitioner of an ideal democracy. With our three organs of the government, namely legislative, executive and judiciary, the constitutional rights to citizens, multiparty system, laws to curb discrimination and spread the virtues of equality, protection to minorities, and a space for people to discuss, debate and dissent, India has shown a commitment towards democratic values.


In recent times, with challenges to freedom of speech, rights of minority groups and a conundrum between protection of diversity and unification of the country, the debate about the preservation of democracy has become vital to public discussion. Did you know: In countries like Brazil, Scotland, Switzerland, Argentina, Austria the minimum voting age is 16 years! Also Read: Difference Between Democracy and Dictatorship. Majorly, it is either direct democracy where citizens deliberate and make legislation while in representative democracy, they choose government officials on their behalf, like in a parliamentary or presidential democracy.


The presidential system like in the USA has the President as the head of the country and the government, while the parliamentary system like in UK and India has both a Prime Minister derives its legitimacy from a parliament and even has a nominal head like a monarch or a President. The notions and principle frameworks of democracy have evolved with time. At the core, lies the idea of political discussions and negotiations. In contrast to its alternatives like monarchy, anarchy, oligarchy etc. The ideas of equality, political representation to all, active public participation, the inclusion of dissent, and most importantly, the authority to the law by all makes it an attractive option for citizens to prefer, and countries to follow. The largest democracy in the world, India with the lengthiest constitution has tried and to an extent, successfully achieved in incorporating the framework to be a functional democracy.


It is a parliamentary democratic republic where the President is head of the state and the Prime minister is head of the government. It works on the functioning of three bodies, namely legislative, executive, and judiciary. By including the principles of a sovereign, socialist, secular and democratic republic, and undertaking the guidelines to establish equality, liberty and justice, in the preamble itself, India shows true dedication to achieving the ideal. It has formed a structure that allows people to enjoy their rights, fight against discrimination or any other form of suppression, and protect their rights as well.


It is a practice that is highly recommended by most international organizations. Even though this form of governance has real influence in most countries where it is practiced, it also has its downside. Below is a discussion regarding what democracy entails, and its positive and negative impacts in countries where it is practiced. In this light, a democratic nation should be characterized by free and fair elections. Ordinary people hold the ultimate power in a democratic country, and therefore should be allowed to actively participate in civic life and politics. A state that thrives on democracy should prioritize the protection of human freedoms and rights.


The rule of law is one of the crucial components of justice. In a democratic country, all individuals are treated equally under the law. Democracy discards privileges of a class or group of people. In a democratic environment, only people with the right to vote are given the responsibility of leadership. Every voter in a country has the potential to lead others. In a democratic state, the administration is not limited to few groups or individuals. It gives ordinary people the freedom to choose their leaders and to serve as leaders. Democracy ensures that no individual is above others as is often evident in other forms of government such as monarchies and anarchies.


It upholds the values of equality and liberty in a country. Democracy also ensures that all people are treated equally before the law. In a democratic country, rules are made by ordinary people through their representatives in the legislature. Laws made take into consideration the welfare of all people and not for those who belong to a particular class. The freedoms, interests, and rights of every citizen are highly and equally safeguarded. Resources in such a nation are similarly distributed because democracy stresses on equality of all persons. People in the three social classes are governed by the same set of rules and regulations. The law applies to all individuals irrespective of their influence in society. This method of governance further instills a sense of responsibility in all citizens within a country.


It gives the common man the right of belonging to a particular nation. The people are therefore compelled to take matters of governance upon themselves so that if anything goes wrong, they will stand and question those they put in positions of leadership. They feel entitled to oppose any form of oppression that may arise in their country. They are given the right to speak up their minds and express their views about the governance or leadership without fear of being victimized. Further, democracy has a significant strength in its ability to greatly reduce the likelihood of political dissent. Collier explains that since a democratically elected government receives its mandate from a majority of the citizenry, it implies that a majority should be content with it.


This is not possible in other forms of government. It is only by constituting and running a government as informed by the needs of those who elect it that a system of governance can be said to be based on approval by the majority. The adult citizens of India after every five years, through secret ballots, elect their representatives in the Lok Sabha which is the lower house of the people. The ministers are chosen from among the members. The council of ministers is answerable to the Lok Sabha collectively. There are some rights which are considered fundamental and the courts of law, particularly the Supreme Court of India is the guardian of the fundamental rights.


All people are considered equal in the eye of law and there is no discrimination between man and man on grounds of religion, language, caste or sex. The President is the constitutional head like the Queen of England, while the Prime Minister is the real political executive. Any Indian can stand as a candidate for the post of the President or Prime Minister, no matter whether he is rich or poor, Hindu or Muslim. Indian democracy is said to be better than even that of England and the USA. If India had followed the Margaret Thatcher brand of democracy, Mrs Indira Gandhi would have continued her emergency spell for a longer period.


This was not possible because India has a written constitution. British democracy, on the other hand, has been senile and many people are demanding a written Bill of Rights and an elected upper house in place of the House of Lords, which is packed with cronies of former Prime Ministers. Indian democracy will never accept such a situation. India is the lighthouse of the democratic movement in the third world. The entire Afro-Asian world derives its democratic model of government from India. The above discussion must not blind us about the hindrances that are plaguing the growth and healthy functioning of democracy in India.


These are by and large religious evils associated with ignorance and superstitions. In spite of outward pretension to secularism, our rulers are rather of medieval mentality and obscurantist to the core. Even after forty-five years of independence, the Sati, child sacrifice, congregation of millions to wash their sins in the Ganga, and religious rivalry are very much in evidence. The progressive erosion of English education is closing the windows through which we could look out into the world of science. Whenever a Hindi film heroine is in difficulty, she goes to a temple to pray and immediately God showers blessings on her! Such blind faith has stifled the spirit of enquiry and lulled us into inaction. We build more temples, mosques and gurdwaras than schools, libraries and hospitals.


Like many Muslim countries, fundamentalism has raised its ugly head in India. The Sankaracharya of Puri considers Sati a sacred act. Such a person should have no place in a civilised society, but here he has millions of followers. Thus some evil aspects of Hinduism are also responsible for retarding the growth of democracy in India. It is common knowledge that Hinduism, as distinct from Christianity, is characterised by a hereditary caste system that runs completely counter to the spirit of democracy.


Thus, we see that over every government proposal to abolish the caste system an alarm is raised by people on the upper rungs of the caste ladder. Even the Marxist leaders, who are upper caste Hindus, yoke caste and communism together instead of trying to abolish the former. Reservation of jobs in service and places of educational institutions for backward castes could not have been justified in terms of democracy but for the recognition of caste distinctions in our society. Social reforms like abolition of caste system must be carried out first for Hinduism to survive with dignity before its first traditions and practices are upheld in the interest of democracy.


Essay 5. Liberal Democracy and Socialist Democracy : Democracy may be either of liberal brand or of socialist type. Both groups calls themselves the real democrats, calling others undemocratic. This is so because the term democracy is a very elastic conception. It is not possible to define liberal democracy. We can point out some fundamental features of liberal democracy. Finer and Alan Ball, the two exponents of the expression liberal democracy, have different sets of characteristics for this sort of democracy. For Finer, liberal democracy has four salient features. The first characteristic feature of liberal democracy is an elected legislature, sometimes with an elected head of state.


The legislature represents public opinion through free elections, freedoms of speech, press, assembly and association. The second important feature is its accountability of the consultative and advisory bodies to the legislature. The third element of the system is the social and economic checks and balances through a network of centres of private power. The fourth hallmark of liberal democracy is a system of political checks and balances in three ways:. Alan Ball, the other authority on liberal democracy, assigns to it the following seven elements. First, there must be multiple political parties to compete for political power.


Second, such competition for political power must be free and open. Third, it is open to all to stand as a candidate for any post of political power. Fourth, there will be elections at regular intervals on the basis of universal adult suffrage. Fifth, there will exist civil liberties like freedom of speech, freedom of movement and freedom of religion. The press, radio and television, which are agencies of public media, will not be under the exclusive control of the government. Sixth, there will operate some kind of separation of powers between the executive, legislature and the judiciary.


The seventh hallmark is the pressure groups which will assert themselves in regulating the policy decisions of the government. The government will not control the trade union and other associations. A wide range of population scattered over all the continents is covered by liberal democracy. England, France, the USA, India, Japan have liberal democracy. The political form of the socialist state is called socialist democracy. A socialist state may be democratic or dictatorship in political nature. When the political form is democracy, it is called socialist democracy. Distinguished from liberal democracy, which the Marxists call bourgeois democracy which is marked by private ownership of means of production with the inherent exploitation of the poor by the rich, the Marxists consider socialist democracy as the only genuine democracy because there is no exploitation of one class by other since there is complete public ownership of means of production.


The other shining aspect of it is that the citizens are given economic rights. There is a popular belief that Marx was an anathema for democracy. In effect, Marx was a believer in democracy, of course in his own way. Marx wanted to replace the existing democracy which he called bourgeois democracy, a concept equated with what we call liberalist view of democracy. Marx also wanted his democracy to be a rule by the people. But he gave different connotation of people. For him, it does not include the rich exploiters, feudal lords or similar other stocks. His people include only the proletariat class i.


the working class. The power must belong to the workers and the peasants, who will establish the dictatorship of the proletariat. This will be built on the debris of capitalism. Marx appreciated the liberal democratic system in as much as it terminated the era of feudalism. Liberal democracy, in its turn, will be replaced by socialist democracy in which there will be no unemployment, starvation, poverty or anything of like nature. The Marxist democracy has three aspects — social, economic and political. In the social plank, it will obliterate class contradictions; in the economic front, it will establish common ownership of the means of production and distribution of goods; and in the political arena, it will establish the rule of the people through their free and voluntary associations called the Soviets.


The Marxian theory of democracy underlined the need for economic equality which is a must for a socialist democracy. Marx and Engels in The Communist Manifesto recommended ten measures for adoption by the progressive countries of the world. The Marxists believe that with the implementation of the above measures, economic power would be equi-distributed and economic equality will be ensured. Thus the Marxian democracy is nothing but economic democracy. Alan Ball suggests the following four elements as the basic features of socialist democracy.


In the first place, there shall be a socialist ideology formulated and espoused by the government. In the second place, there will be complete public control in all avenues of life, political, social and economic. In the third place, there is total absence of separation of powers and total denial of independence of judiciary. Finally, there shall be only one political party which is identifiable with the government. Essay 6. Difference between Liberal Democracy and Socialist Democracy: Liberal democracy and socialist democracy differ on the following points. In the first place, unlike private property which exists with liberal democracy, there is no private property in socialists democracy.


In socialist democracy, the means of production are complete public ownership. In the second place, in a liberal democracy the people are given only political and civil rights like right to property, right to freedom of speech and expression which are not available in a socialist democracy. In contrast, the people are assured right to work, rest and right to security in old age, which are a far cry in liberal democracy. In the third place, the print media like newspapers and electronic media like cinema, television are in the firm grip of the government in a socialist democracy, while these are left free in liberal democracy.


In the fourth place, the governmental noose is tightened over the trade union and voluntary associations in the case of socialist democracy. In juxtaposition, liberal democracy prefers not to interfere in those areas. In the fifth place, liberal democracy permits any number of political parties as required. But in a socialist democracy there is only one political party. Last, but not the least, is that the concept of separation of power with independence of judiciary is enthroned in liberal democracy. In a socialist democracy, the difference between the executive, legislature and judiciary is totally obliterated. Essay 7. Difference between Socialist Democracy and Democratic Socialism: Although socialist democracy and democratic socialism look very much alike, they are quite different cups of tea.


Socialist democracy is a kind of democracy. It is more socialist and less democratic. Its goal is socialism. In contrast, democratic socialism is more democratic and less socialist. Socialist democracy is opposed to liberal democracy. Democratic socialism, on the other hand, is not opposed to liberal democracy and at times the two are almost the same. Democratic socialism is a kind of socialism which abjures violence and attains socialism by peaceful means as against the use of force. Otherwise, it is a half-way socialism in as much as it believes in private property, more than one political party and allows private bodies to control the means of production.


It is liberal socialism, because it upholds the concept of separation of power and maintains the dignity of independence of judiciary. England, the USA, France and India are examples of democratic socialism, because in these countries the government has a welfare programme very much like socialism and at the same time keeping all the trappings of liberalism like free press, free political party, free elections on the basis of universal adult franchise and private property for the citizens and allowing both private and public bodies to control the means of production. In all these counties the power is captured by a non-violent method through secret ballots, as against use of force which is the method of the Marxists capturing power.


There is definitely exploitation of one class by another. So in this way we find democratic socialism merging with liberal democracy. In both these countries socialism in its full blast existed. Essay 8. Classical Theory of Democracy: The basic theory of democracy, as it is handed down to us by the Greeks, is rule by the people. Although Rousseau and Mill were the principal votaries of the classical theory of democracy, they were joined by several other political thinkers like John Locke, Edmund Burke, Jeremy Bentham, Thomas Green, Albert Ven Dicey, James Bryce, A. Lindsay and Harold J.


Since Rousseau and Mill gave a complete picture of classical theory, we shall discuss their views as the basic features of the classic theory of democracy. iv By participating in the public life, an individual will enhance his prestige as a member of the community;. v This will induce him to evolve socially responsible actions and as such, the participation will have educative value;. i Following Rousseau, Mill wanted that the individual should take public interest to widen his outlook;. ii Participation must begin at home i. iii The most capable person should be voted to power.


This public responsibility requires education. An educated person should have more votes than the uneducated ones;. v Individual right is so remarkable that the opinion of the entire nation cannot and should not silence the minority decision. In the first place, if the uninterested and ill-informed people are asked to participate in the policy making functions of the government, it will do more harm than good. In the second place, no state has gained by increasing the number of voters, if the voters are not enlightened and dutiful. Best few must be better than bad many. The illiterate voters misuse their votes and even sell their votes. This will bring democracy to its knees.


In the third place, the elitists believe that the art of politics might better be left to the most enlightened minority. Leadership of the country cannot be left to the voters. This will create chaos and confusion. In the fourth place, if the voters themselves are to evolve the defence and foreign policy, it will be a bad day for democracy. This will result in the tyranny of the masses. This will be unworkable in a vast modern state. Lack of representation will make the government in the hands of unresponsive and unscrupulous persons and will thereby weaken the political system. With the loss of participation, political education will be on the low key. Whether it is possible or not, our ideal should be to have individual participation.


A least in the field of ideology, participatory democracy is the best one. The elitist theory of democracy is the opposite term of classical theory of democracy. We have noted that the emphasis of the classical theory of democracy is on the participatory process of each and every individual citizen. All should have a say in the policy making function of the government. In contrast, the elitists believe that only a few persons are enlightened and efficient enough to run the government and so these privileged few, who are more intelligent, should alone be invited to hold on the reins of political power.


Thus a minority of population will rule over the majority of the population. The term elite stands for the chosen element in the population. All men are not equal. Some are more equal. This idea is as old as the Greek political thinker of fourth century B. In his Republic, Plato reserved political power for the philosophers so much so that he believed that the evils of the society can be removed only if the philosophers made the rulers. The elitists support a kind of aristocracy or oligarchy. The authors of the elitist theory are two Italian sociologists, namely Vilfredo Pareto and Gaetano Mosca. Later on a disciple of Mosca, Robert Michels, developed the theory in Germany. Then came four more elitists in the scene. They are O. Gasset, James Burnham, C.


Wright Mills and Harold Lasswell. According to Pareto, the present history is the history of the relation between the elite and the non-elites. The much more numerous class acquiesces in subordination to the elites who rule over them. The elites have all the qualities of the lion and fox. We know that Machiavelli made his prince the embodiment of the fox and the lion.

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