DEMOCRACY

Sample Essay on Democracy (250 to 300 words)

As Abraham Lincoln once said, “democracy is the government of the people, by the people and for the people.” There
is undeniably no doubt that the core of democracies lies in making people the ultimate decision-makers. 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 in 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 of living with dignity and protecting 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 the 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, a 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 the
protection of diversity and unification of the country, the debate about the preservation of democracy has become
vital to public discussion.

Sample Essay on Democracy for UPSC (500 words)

Democracy originated from the Greek word dēmokratiā, with dēmos ‘people’ and Kratos ‘rule.’ For the first time, the
term appeared in the 5th century BC to denote the political systems then existing in Greek city-states, notably
Classical Athens, to mean “rule of the people.” It now refers to a form of governance where the people have the right
to participate in the decision-making of the country. Majorly, it is either a direct democracy where citizens deliberate
and make legislation while in a 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 the UK and India) has both a Prime Minister who derives its legitimacy from a
parliament and even 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., it is the one with
the most liberty to incorporate diversity. 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 make 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 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. The ban on all and any form of discrimination, an independent judiciary,
governmental accountability to its citizens, freedom of media and press, and 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, the reality
is different. Even though elections are conducted everywhere, mostly, they lack freedom of choice and fairness. Even
in the world’s greatest democracies, there are challenges like political instability, suppression of dissent, corruption,
and power dynamics polluting the political sphere and making it unjust for the citizens. Despite the consensus on
democracy as the best form of government, the journey to achieve true democracy is both painstaking and tiresome.