Trends, Networks, and Critical Thinking in the 21st Century

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Democracy

Democracy
“Democracy is when the people keep a government in check.”
- Aung San Suu Kyi
Democracy is a familiar term. For many, it is synonymous with freedom,
equality, and justice. With the majority of countries identifying themselves as
democratic, democracy has truly become the most preferred and trusted
form of government today.
In this module, we will take a closer look at democracy. We will discuss its
history, its different forms, and its basic workings. Towards the end of this
chapter, we will discuss the roles and responsibilities of a citizen in a
democratic country.
What is Democracy?
Democracy is defined by 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”.
The word democracy itself is derived from the Ancient Greek words demos
meaning “the people” and kratos which means “power” or “strength”.
Perhaps the most enduring definition of democracy is that it is a “government
of the people, by the people, for the people”. It is an excerpt from the
Gettysburg Address, a historic speech given by Abraham Lincoln former
president of the United States and one of the most famous democratic leaders
of all time.

A Brief History of Democracy

The following are some of the historical political events and practices that
became the basis and inspiration for democracy as we know it today.
Athenian Democracy
The city-state of Athens in Ancient Greece is believed to be the first sovereign
state to officially have a democratic system of government. From 508 BCE to
322 BCE*, Athens governed itself through a direct democracy (to be
discussed later) where adult male citizens took part in “the assembly” or
ekklesia which was held at least once a month. Any member can speak or
address the assembly and cast a vote by raising his hand.
Note* Before Common Era or BCE are the years that came before the
Common Era (CE). BCE years are counted backwards, hence 508 BCE to 322
BCE. BCE ended in 1 BCE and was directly followed by 1 CE of the Common
Era, which we use today.

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 The Roman Republic
In 509 BCE, the last Roman king was overthrown and the monarchy
(government ruled by a monarch like a king, emperor, sultan, etc), that ruled
Ancient Rome in the first 200 years of its existence was replaced by the
Roman Republic. The Roman Republic introduced many political concepts
that we are familiar with today. There was the Roman Senate and The
Assembly which is a lot like a Congress. The consul was the highest political
position. Two consuls were elected at the same time and their term would
last for a year.
Although they became the basis of the modern democratic political structure,
the Roman Republic was actually an oligarchy, which is a form of government
where power is held by a small group of people. Unlike a real democracy, the
real power to vote and make decisions in the Roman Republic belonged only
to the members of rich and influential families.
The Magna Carta
King John of England was forced to negotiate with a group of barons (lowest
rank in British nobility) who rebelled and ended up capturing London. The
results of the negotiations were written in a document that came to be
known as the Magna Carta (Medieval Latin for “the Great Charter”), which
was signed in 1215 by the king and other concerned par ties.
The Magna Carta is composed of 63 clauses which mostly addressed
important issues of the time such as debt and land ownership. More
importantly, it established the principles that everyone, even the rulers of the
land, are subject to the law and that no one should be imprisoned and
punished without the due process of law.
These principles of universal human rights and equality under the law
eventually became foundations of modern democratic systems, making the
Magna Carta one of the most important documents in history.

Types of Democracy
Basically, there are two main types of democracy; direct democracy and
representative democracy.
Direct Democracy
As the name implies, direct democracy is a type of democracy where
members can directly or personally participate in dialogue and decision
making.
As previously mentioned, an example of this is the democratic system of
Ancient Athens. Another example is the process used by smaller democratic
groups like clubs and small towns where members would gather in a meeting
to discuss and vote on important matters. Today, the only countr y that
incorporates substantial elements of direct democracy is the Swiss
Confederation, the official name of Switzerland. Swiss citizens can directly
influence the creation or amendment (which means alteration or correction
of a law or document) of laws and their constitution by voting on
referendums. A referendum is a vote by the electorate (electorate means all
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Democracy

people who are entitled to vote) on a single issue. On average, a Swiss voter
would vote on a referendum four times a year.
Representative Democracy
Representative democracy is a type of democracy where officials are elected
by the citizens to act in their behalf. For example, the House of
Representatives of the Philippines is composed of 297 representatives, of
which 238 are representatives from legislative districts and 59 are party list
representatives
Most of the democracies today are representative democracies. In theory,
representative democracy makes it possible to convey the needs, desires, and
opinions of millions of citizens through the representatives that they have
elected.
Representative democracy can be further categorized into 2 systems. These
are parliamentary and presidential.
Parliamentary System
In a parliamentary system, citizens elect members of the parliament, which is
the main legislative (law-making) body. The members of the political party
(groups of politicians with the same political beliefs) with the highest
number of elected representatives select a prime minister, which is the
highest political position. The prime minister assumes leadership
responsibilities while still acting as a member of the parliament.
In some cases, the prime minister only serves as the head of government
while someone else assumes the role of head of state. Normally, these are the
countries with a parliamentary system AND an existing monarchy. For
example, in the United Kingdom, the prime minister is the head of
government while the queen serves as the head of state. Similarly, Japan’s
head of state is the emperor while the prime minister is head of government.
In both examples, however, the monarchs only serve as symbols or
ceremonial figures and have little to no political power. The real political
power still rests on the prime minister.
Presidential System
In a presidential democracy, citizens elect a president who serves as head of
state AND leader of the government. The government itself is usually divided
into three branches namely the executive branch, the legislative branch, and
the judicial branch.
The executive branch is led by the president, who appoints members of the
cabinet. Each cabinet member leads a department of the executive branch
such as education, finance, and national defence. They also serve as advisors
to the president. The vice president, who holds the second highest political
position in the country, is normally appointed as a cabinet member.

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The legislative branch is responsible for making laws. In most cases, the
legislative branch is divided into a senate and a house of representative. All
members of both groups are elected by the citizens.
The role of the judicial branch is to interpret the laws. It is composed of the
court system. There is usually a Supreme Court which is led by Supreme
Court judges.
Rights of a Citizen
Democracy is a government for the people and as such, the welfare of its
citizens should be the primary concern of any democratic state. The
following some of the most basic and important human rights that
democracy guarantees for its citizens:
Freedom of expression
Also known as freedom of speech, freedom of expression is the right of every
citizen to express his opinions without being censored or suppressed by
others. This right is essential in a democracy because public opinion is a
major deciding factor in almost every issue.
Freedom of religion
Freedom of religion or freedom of belief is the right of every person to
choose which religion or belief system to follow. This right also guarantees
the freedom to worship or conduct religious practices. At the same time, the
freedom of religion also protects any person from being forced to follow any
religion or belief system against his or her will.
Freedom of assembly
Also known as freedom of association, freedom of assembly is the right of
citizens to come together with the goal of expressing, promoting and
defending their ideas. This right also gives citizens the freedom to peacefully
protest and express their grievances.
Right to equal protection of the law
This right states that every citizen is considered equal under the law. This
means that laws should not discriminate people based on gender, religion,
wealth, ethnicity, etc.
Right to due process and fair trial
This right states that the government cannot take away a person’s life,
freedom, or property without the due process of law. This right also gives
anyone who is accused of a crime the right to a fair trial in the court of law.
Basically, the government cannot imprison, punish, or kill anyone without
proper legal basis
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Democracy

Responsibilities of a Citizen
Democracy is a government of the people and by the people as much as it is a
government for the people. This means that the citizens need to play an
active role in and assume several responsibilities if democracy is to succeed.
The following are the responsibilities of the citizens in pretty much every
democratic country:
Obeying laws
No country can exist without laws and laws are useless if they are not
followed by everyone. It is mandatory for every citizen to follow the law. As a
matter of fact, you have to follow the laws everywhere you go, even if you are
not a citizen of that country.
Paying taxes
Tax money is used to fund the services that are provided by the government
such as public school education and health care. It also pays for the salaries
of everyone who works for the government including teachers, firemen,
policemen, soldiers, and even the president. Therefore, it is important that
citizens continue to pay taxes.
Voting
Democracy will not be possible if citizens do not vote. Voting is the primary
way for a citizen to take part in democratic decision-making. Most of the
time, citizens vote to elect government leaders and representatives. In some
cases, citizens need to vote in referendums in order to settle important
issues. While voting is not mandatory or required by law, not doing so would
mean that your opinion is not considered and not represented in democracy.
Other responsibilities
Some citizen responsibilities vary from country to country. For example, in
some countries including the United States a citizen may be called upon to
serve as member of a jury. A jury is a group of people who are responsible for
deciding the outcome of a court trial based on facts and evidences presented
in court.
In some democratic states, it is mandatory for citizens to serve in the
military. The usual duration of mandatory military service is about 2 years.
An example is South Korea, where able-bodied adult male citizens have to
serve in the military for up to 2 years. Another example is Israel, where both
men and women have to serve.

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References

Definition of democracy
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/democracy

What is Democracy?
https://web.stanford.edu/~ldiamond/iraq/WhaIsDemocracy012004.htm

DEFINING DEMOCRACY
https://www.ait.org.tw/infousa/zhtw/DOCS/whatsdem/whatdm2.htm

The Gettysburg Address

https://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/gettysburg.htm

Athenian Democracy: a brief overview

http://www.stoa.org/projects/demos/article_democracy_overview?page=all

Athenian Democracy
http://www.ancient.eu/Athenian_Democracy/

Roman Republic
http://www.ancient.eu/Roman_Republic/

Magna Carta: an introduction

https://www.bl.uk/magna-carta/articles/magna-carta-an-introduction

Direct Democracy
http://www.co-intelligence.org/CIPol_directdemocracy.html

Different Systems of Democracy

http://www.democracy-building.info/systems-democracy.html

What Does It Mean To Be A Citizen In A Democracy?

http://literacy.kent.edu/Oasis/Resc/Educ/saintro.html