August 30, Another disadvantage is that mobs can influence people. Did you know: In countries like Brazil, Scotland, Switzerland, Argentina, essay of democracy, Austria the minimum voting age is 16 years! Democracy India Reputation. All men are not equal. After over 16 years, it seemed as though the Democratic party was going to win since the Republican party split.
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Although the United States of America prides itself on being the first truly democratic country in the modern world, an opinion that the US is not a democracy has been gaining more and more traction in the recent years. There are concerns that the American democratic system does not work as advertised and instead gradually moves towards a more authoritarian regime. The goal of this essay is to prove this theory by presenting various non-democratic practices and inconsistencies of American politics. First of all, essay of democracy, it is necessary essay of democracy take a look at the evidence suggesting that America is slowly starting to move closer to authoritarianism, essay of democracy.
Ever since the beginning of the decade, essay of democracy, there has been a growing disaffection with democracy in the United States, especially among the more progressive and left-leaning individuals. More and more people believe that voting cannot help in addressing economic and social crises that surround them, hence why they start protest movements like Occupy Wall St. Chou Furthermore, according to Paul Smith, authoritarianism is born from two conditions: the bourgeoisie abandonment of politics and the eradication of the class system Chou The first condition is manifested in essay of democracy fact that political ideas of both the left and the right have become so extreme that there is no more workable middle ground, which means that the whole system is likely to go off completely into one of the extremes Chou As for the second, while the distinction between classes is rather strong in the economic sense, efforts have been made to wipe out the class division from the world of politics, essay of democracy, thus creating an illusion of essay of democracy not being relevant Chou These conditions put America close to the position of the democratic Weimar Republic, which saw its demise inpaving the way for the Nazi Party to take control over the country.
For example, corporate elites and lobbyists have grown used to exploiting democracy for their own aims. As for the citizens themselves, over the years they have become increasingly more inert, believing that simply voting every four years is enough and thus not being proactive in deciding the future of their own homeland Chou One common practice in the American politics that clearly goes against the supposed democratic nature of the country is gerrymandering. Gerrymandering refers to machinations aimed at gaining political advantage for one party or group over another, namely through manipulation of the district boundaries.
This is done using advertising targeted at specific audiences, be it by ethnicity, sex, religion and soon, by redrawing the district lines and so on. America, being an electoral democracy that uses small districts, is unfortunately very susceptible to gerrymandering. In fact, according to a study by Ferran Martinez i Coma and Ignacio Lago, it has the highest rate of gerrymandering in essay of democracy world, followed by Malaysia and Romania. The main problem of gerrymandering is that it exploits the social capital, which goes against the principles of democracy. That is because elites use their power for their own ends essay of democracy the interests of common people are ignored Waymer and Heath Because of gerrymandering, essay of democracy, equal voting power and fair representation essay of democracy sacrificed in favor of furthering the political goals.
Many different methods for combatting gerrymandering have been proposed throughout the years. One of the most prominent ones is creating neutral and objective organizations that will take the duty of redistricting away from legislatures. Such a system has already been implemented in countries like the United Kingdom or Australia. In the States, however, nearly every attempt at curbing gerrymandering meets strong opposition from groups whom gerrymandering benefits politically and financially. The idea of voter caging is that political parties challenge or outright purge the voting rights of people affiliated with other political parties by sending direct mail to those people.
Addresses of those people from whom the mail is returned undelivered are compiled into lists. It is then argued that those people do not legally reside on addresses in these lists and therefore they are not allowed to vote. Another essay of democracy worth considering is that capitalism and democracy may not actually be completely compatible with each other. The logic of these two ideas is different: while the former guarantees that property and wealth will not be distributed equally, the other one provides equal civic and political rights for everyone, essay of democracy.
One promotes majority decision-making while the other requires a strictly hierarchical decision-making. Additionally, these two concepts are not exactly equal between each other. It is known that while democracy can exist only within the margins of capitalism, the reverse is not true, as capitalism can prosper both under democratic and authoritarian regimes Merkel Ever since the s, there is a continuing process of financialization of capitalism, essay of democracy. Socioeconomic inequality enforced by this financialization brings political inequality.
Political inequality, in turn, means that the democratic system is transforming into an oligarchy, where only the rich have any sort of political power, whereas the interests of other people are not represented in the government Merkel Now it is necessary to go back to the 18 th century and see what the Founding Fathers of the United States intended the country to be. Namely, they proclaimed that the United States should be a republic, i. it is the elected officials who vote essay of democracy laws and not the citizens themselves. In this sense, America cannot be considered a direct democracy but rather a Republic with democratic essay of democracy. Thus, the Founding Fathers needed to find a compromise, and they found by creating a mixed-republic with representative democracy.
In conclusion, all the arguments presented in this essay prove the assertion that the United States is not, at its core, a democratic state, essay of democracy. By the most basic of definitions, it can be considered a constitutional federal republic with democratic principles. But what is more important is that these democratic principles which the US prides upon and uses to distinguish itself from the rest of essay of democracy world are far from perfect and, indeed, are gradually growing weaker with each passing year.
And authoritarianism is most certainly not what the Founded Fathers intended for the future of their country, essay of democracy. Chou, Mark. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, essay of democracy, Martínez i Coma, Ferran, and Lago, Ignacio. Merkel, Wolfgang. Waymer, Damion, essay of democracy, and Heath, Robert L. Is the USA a Democracy? American Politics. This paper was written and submitted to our database by a student to assist your with your own studies. You are free to use it to write your own assignment, however you must reference it properly. If you are the original creator of this paper and no longer wish to have it published on StudyCorgi, request the removal. Learn More. Karl Marx and International Relations Theories.
Cite this paper Select style, essay of democracy. Select citation styles APA-6 APA-7 MLA-8 Chicago N-B Chicago A-D Harvard. Reference StudyCorgi. Work Cited "Is the USA a Democracy? Bibliography StudyCorgi. References StudyCorgi. American Politics'. Powered by CiteChimp - the best free citation machine. Copy to clipboard.
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One of the most prominent ones is creating neutral and objective organizations that will take the duty of redistricting away from legislatures. Such a system has already been implemented in countries like the United Kingdom or Australia. In the States, however, nearly every attempt at curbing gerrymandering meets strong opposition from groups whom gerrymandering benefits politically and financially. The idea of voter caging is that political parties challenge or outright purge the voting rights of people affiliated with other political parties by sending direct mail to those people. Addresses of those people from whom the mail is returned undelivered are compiled into lists.
It is then argued that those people do not legally reside on addresses in these lists and therefore they are not allowed to vote. Another point worth considering is that capitalism and democracy may not actually be completely compatible with each other. The logic of these two ideas is different: while the former guarantees that property and wealth will not be distributed equally, the other one provides equal civic and political rights for everyone. One promotes majority decision-making while the other requires a strictly hierarchical decision-making. Additionally, these two concepts are not exactly equal between each other. It is known that while democracy can exist only within the margins of capitalism, the reverse is not true, as capitalism can prosper both under democratic and authoritarian regimes Merkel Ever since the s, there is a continuing process of financialization of capitalism.
Socioeconomic inequality enforced by this financialization brings political inequality. Political inequality, in turn, means that the democratic system is transforming into an oligarchy, where only the rich have any sort of political power, whereas the interests of other people are not represented in the government Merkel Now it is necessary to go back to the 18 th century and see what the Founding Fathers of the United States intended the country to be. Namely, they proclaimed that the United States should be a republic, i. it is the elected officials who vote on laws and not the citizens themselves.
In this sense, America cannot be considered a direct democracy but rather a Republic with democratic values. Thus, the Founding Fathers needed to find a compromise, and they found by creating a mixed-republic with representative democracy. In conclusion, all the arguments presented in this essay prove the assertion that the United States is not, at its core, a democratic state. By the most basic of definitions, it can be considered a constitutional federal republic with democratic principles. But what is more important is that these democratic principles which the US prides upon and uses to distinguish itself from the rest of the world are far from perfect and, indeed, are gradually growing weaker with each passing year.
So you can check out sample papers from writing services, and they will guide you. With these, you will be able to deliver an essay with a well-written introduction and conclusion. Read more. What is Functioning Democracy and Its Specification words 2 Pages. A functioning democracy is defined by various characteristics, like freedom of speech, equality, human rights, rule of law and many more. They might even have respected momentarily those rights, Form of government, Freedom of the people, Popular government, Representative democracy. Centuries ago, the most common way for a king or emperor to earn political legitimacy was to associate with the prevalent religious ideology of their polis. The commonly held notions of the Divine seduced the emperors to rule in the name of God.
But gradually, Democracy Political Culture Political Participation. Democratic institutions, Democratic polis, Liberal democracy, Participatory democracy, Politics. Early Nineteenth Century America was a time of dramatic and rapid change. The American economy was shifting from agriculture and farming to a system that valued labor within the industry. The economic shift created advances in both technology and American values. The Nineteenth Century saw Andrew Jackson Democracy Democracy in America. Democracy, according to Abraham Lincoln former American President is a government of the people by the people and for the people.
Comparative Analysis Democracy People. Democracy is a concept with a variety of potential meanings, and it is not simple to grasp or define Rusell J. Dolton, Democracy is by far the most challenging form of government — both for politicians and for the people. The term democracy comes from Consensus democracy, Deliberative democracy, Democratization, Direct democracy, E-democracy, Form of government, Liberal democracy, Participatory democracy, Representative democracy. The concept of Democracy and Non-Democracy began with the advent of the State. The clear distinction between the two concepts became clear when democracy came into practice in BC.
The first form of democracy, what is known today as Athenian Democracy, was introduced in Athenian democracy, Basic idea of democracy, Concept of Democracy, First form of democracy, Form of government, Government of the people, Representative democracy. Under the current electoral voting system general elections are decided using the first-past-the-post system FPTP and Members of the House of Commons are elected in single-member constituencies. The first-past-the post system is known for its simplicity, because under this system voters simply put a cross Democracy Voting. Brimming with death, destruction, and despair, the plots of Greek tragedies are often considered the darkest of theatrical genres. Democracy Literature Review Tragedy. Aeschylus, Agamemnon, Ancient Greece, Cassandra, Clytemnestra, Democratic election, Democratic government, Dithyramb, Electra, Emotion.
The characteristics of new media due to its plasticity and interactivity as open participation and non-hierarchical made social media attractive to many of its users. Social media and other forms of new media has both its merits and demerits in making the world more democratic Democracy Social Media. He was a unique politician who was very strategic in his missions. He was bold, fearless and authoritative. However, this president was very popular amongst ordinary citizens despite being in a poor relationship The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing. 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. Not even when a dictatorship works in the interest of all citizens can it be considered to enjoy majority approval. On the other hand however, the minority needs may not be fully met by a democratic government. Those who voted against such a government would feel left out and would thus develop a feeling of dissatisfaction Collier, This notwithstanding, no system of politics or governance can see everybody get satisfied and it is only through democracy that a majority can be satisfied.
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