This lens is being expanded. What you see here now is just a start.
What Is a Democratic Government?
This list addresses the "basic and minimal sense" in which we can judge a democratic government. That is not to say that you necessarily have a democracy when these conditions exist. This is only the baseline.
The list is drawn from Democracy: A Very Short Introduction, by Bernard Crick (Oxford University Press, 2002).
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The list is drawn from Democracy: A Very Short Introduction, by Bernard Crick (Oxford University Press, 2002).
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- Periodic elections are held
- Leaders and officials abide by the results of elections
- Decisions are made public
- Process of decision-making may also be public (transparent)
- Public criticism of government is permitted in mass media
What Is a Democratic Society?
Democracy is more than only government. The conditions in which people live are essential to any evaluation of whether a nation is actually practicing democracy.
The list is drawn from Democracy: A Very Short Introduction, by Bernard Crick (Oxford University Press, 2002).
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The list is drawn from Democracy: A Very Short Introduction, by Bernard Crick (Oxford University Press, 2002).
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- Individual liberties
- Human rights
- Economic progress
- Social justice
MVPs of Modern Democracy
These are some folks who have made their mark on history with ideas about democracy.
- John Locke
- "In Two Treatises of Government [1680-1690] he has two purposes in view: to refute the doctrine of the divine and absolute right of the Monarch ... and to establish a theory which would reconcile the liberty of the citizen with political order."
- Niccolò Machiavelli
- Machiavelli wrote The Prince (1513) and Discourses on Livy (1531), a commentary on the Roman republic; he advocated that a ruler must build up and maintain power at any cost. He wrote: "[I]t is necessary to whoever arranges to found a Republic and establish laws in it, to presuppose that all men are bad and that they will use their malignity of mind every time they have the opportunity ..." (Discourses on Livy, Chapter 3).
- John Stuart Mill
- Mill, author of Principles of Political Economy (1848) and On Liberty (1859), said "that we should sacrifice economic growth for the sake of the environment, and should limit population as much to give ourselves breathing space as in order to fend off the risk of starvation for the overburdened poor."
- Montesquieu
- Montesquieu (Charles de Secondat, Baron de la Brède et de Montesquieu), author of Spirit of Laws (1748), said there are three forms of government: monarchy, republic, despotism. He advocated the division of power among three branches of government: the executive, the legislature, and the courts.
- John Rawls
- Rawls, author of A Theory of Justice (1971), "is considered by many to be the most important political philosopher of the second half of the 20th century ..." He argued against utilitarianism, saying it is unacceptable to allow the rights of a few to be sacrificed for the benefit of the many.
- Jean-Jacques Rousseau
- Rousseau, author of The Social Contract (1762), wrote about "the noble savage" and what he called volonté générale, or "the general will." By working together for the common good, humans can rise above their base competitive nature; this is "society" (or perhaps "civil society").
- Herbert Spencer
- Spencer, author of The Man versus the State (1884), was "initially best known for developing and applying evolutionary theory [Darwinism] to philosophy, psychology and the study of society ... usually remembered in philosophical circles [today] for his political thought, primarily for his defense of natural rights and for criticisms of utilitarian positivism ..."
- Alexis de Tocqueville
- Tocqueville, author of Democracy in America (1835, 1840), spent nine months traveling in the United States when he was 25 years old. His work is a mixture of journalism, opinion, and political science.
- Voltaire
- Voltaire, playwright, poet, and author of Candide, a satirical novel (1759), "needed but to obey the mandates of the rules to live as the pampered child of luxury and ease, but this Voltaire always refused to do."
Books About Democracy
Democracy: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)
Amazon Price: $9.56 (as of 10/12/2008)
