Democracy

We explain what democracy is, the types that exist, its history, principles and characteristics. Also, what is a dictatorship.

What is democracy?

Democracy is a political and social organization system in which the power of decision in the conduct of the State (that is, sovereignty) is conferred on the people, who is expressed through the will of the majority. This power can be expressed directly or indirectly and, within the framework of democracy, institutions are expected to execute and defend the will of the people, which transfers or delegates control of the State to them to a greater or lesser extent.

The term “democracy” comes from the Greek voices give us“people”, and kratein“power,” so it is equivalent to something like “the power of the people.” In this way, democratic systems are distinguished from other forms of governments such as dictatorships, autocracy and authoritarianism.

Democracy is one of the prevailing forms of government in today's world. and it is through this system that transcendental decisions of national life, such as the appointment of political positions of the executive and legislative branches, are submitted to consultation or popular vote.

For this method of consultation to be valid, all citizens of legal age and conditions to choose must be able to do so freely, secretly and universally. Representatives elected under a democratic system must safeguard the interests of the entire population and certain responsibilities are required of them. This means not engaging in dishonest acts or putting personal interests above the common good.

In addition to the election of representatives, democracy implies other forms and mechanisms that citizens use to participate in decisions, such as debates, referendums, participation in neighborhood meetings, mobilizations, among others. The use and function of these mechanisms vary depending on the type of democracy that prevails within each territory.

Although the characteristics of a democracy can change according to each country, there are a series of principles that are common to all democracies. One of the main democratic principles It means respecting fundamental human rights and guaranteeing basic civil liberties as contemplated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

It is common to confuse the idea of ​​democracy with that of a republic.: the latter implies the separation of powers and equality before the law, elements that are considered essential for the existence of a democratic government. However, these are different notions, so in principle there can be non-republican democracies and non-democratic republics.

See also: Forms of government

Principles and characteristics of democracy

Every modern democratic system must necessarily be guided by the following principles:

• popular sovereignty. Political power must emanate from the people, who will be able to ultimately decide how they wish to govern themselves. Said sovereignty can be temporarily and partially transferred to political representatives through free, secret and universal popular vote. However, there are minimum conditions required to exercise the right to vote, such as the minimum eligible age or solvency with certain legal obligations, depending on what is stipulated in the Constitution of each country. Citizens must be able to choose between different options when casting their vote.
• The rule of law. The members of a State, both citizens and the political power, are subject to the laws of each territory and must comply with them in all cases.
• equality. In a democracy, all individuals are equal before the law, so citizens must receive fair and equitable treatment and must not be discriminated against based on race, ethnicity, sex, among other characteristics. Furthermore, the vote of the entire population must always have the same value and be given under the same conditions.
• Respect for individual freedoms and human rights. Within a democracy, citizens must have their fundamental freedoms guaranteed, such as freedom of expression, politics, movement, religion, thought, among many others. Furthermore, universal human rights must be respected.
• The limitation of power. Every form of political power in a democracy must have limits, and the different institutions of the State must ensure that this is the case. The Constitution or Magna Carta of the country will have the last word regarding the mechanisms and procedures to guarantee respect for the popular will. Citizens expect transparency from their representatives and accountability in the exercise of their functions.

history of democracy

The term “democracy” was first used in Ancient Greece, around the 6th century BC. C. And although other forms of democracy possibly existed in ancient civilizations, Democracy similar to what we know now arose in Athens a city that was governed by an Assembly of citizens in which only free Athenian males over 18 years of age could participate.

Athenian democracy had its own characteristics (the notion of “people”, for example, did not include women, slaves or foreigners) and was not governed by the same moral values ​​that prevail in modern democracy.

However, a direct democracy was exercised, without the intermediary of representatives, in which decisions were made through popular vote and the majority criteria of the Assembly participants. In addition, it directly involved citizens (chosen by lottery) in the performance of the State administration. Unlike other civilizations of the time, there were no kings or ruling priests.

In addition to the Athenian Assembly, this democracy had courts that administered justice and the Council of 500, which, among other things, was responsible for drafting the laws and proposals that then had to be approved by the Assembly.

However, Modern democratic theory began to take shape in the ancient Roman Republic which had looser democratic mechanisms than the Greeks. The moral point of view of Judaism and nascent Christianity, in addition, helped to build a sense of equality that had never existed before in the ancient world, governed from its beginnings by the aristocracy.

Over time, the Roman Republic degenerated into imperial despotism and then disappeared into dozens of small feudal kingdoms. Only after the Renaissancein the Modern Age, the republic as a system of government reemerged in the West hand in hand with the bourgeoisie and nascent capitalism.

The collapse of the Old Regime and the Absolutist Monarchy marked the return of democracy as a method of electing authorities and institutions. In many cases, democracy coexisted with the power of royalty, to which it assigned more symbolic and representative functions.

The first modern democratic governments in Europe were the Two Nations Republic (Lithuanian-Polish), predecessor of the Constitutional Monarchy, during the 16th and 17th centuries; and the French Republic after the Revolution of 1789. From then on, empires collapsed and democracy was consolidated as the most popular political system in the world.

Types of democracy

When talking about democratic processes we do not always mean exactly the same thing, since there are two main types of democracy: direct and indirect.

direct democracy

Direct democracy is pure democracy, in which All decisions and determinations are made by the people, without intermediaries. It is the citizens who directly vote on the laws and regulations without there being representatives to do it for them. This type of democracy does not occur in a pure form in almost any part of the world.

However, there is semi-direct democracy, which is one that occurs when citizens elect representatives who make decisions on their behalf on certain topics, but which also uses other consultation mechanisms that allow the people to decide directly on some issues.

This is the case of referendums, plebiscites, popular initiatives, assemblies, among others. This allows some decisions to be made by the people, without intermediaries, and sometimes even executed by them themselves, through institutions of popular participation.

indirect democracy

In indirect democracy, also called representative democracy, sovereignty is temporarily transferred from the people to their political representatives elected through direct suffrage (when the people elect their representatives) or indirect suffrage (when individuals elect delegates who in turn elect representatives).

This system considers that not everything can be submitted to a popular consultation, if you want to have an operational and efficient State, so officials and institutions must work on behalf of the people and guarantee that their wishes are respected and executed. This type of democracy, in turn, can be:

• presidential democracy. When the executive power falls to a president elected by direct popular vote, and is totally independent of the legislative power.
• parliamentary democracy. When the head of government is exercised by a prime minister (rather than a president), who emanates from the legislative branch.
• Soviet democracy. When workers and citizens elect delegates to a local political power council (the soviets). These councils or soviets exercise sovereignty in their name, to elect representatives to a higher commission of local soviets and so on up to the Presidency of the Nation or Secretariat of State.

It is also common to talk about different types of democracy according to the prevailing ideology. Some of them are:

• Social democracy. It is a political ideology that occurs within a capitalist system and that seeks the participation of the State within the economy. The objective is to reduce inequalities and apply social justice.
• Liberal democracy. It is a form of democracy in which the principles of liberalism, individual freedoms and a mainly private economy are respected.

Importance of democracy

Democracy is, currently, one of the most widespread forms of government in the world, since It is understood as a fair method, which allows respect for the popular will. Its importance lies in the fact that it is based on justice and seeks to respect transparent processes to give voice to the will and decision of the people.

Within a democracy, all citizens who meet certain requirements can elect their representatives. Besides, Democracy promotes the fair division of powers, the diversity of political parties (so that citizens can choose the one with whom they feel most represented) and ensure that their tenure in office is not unlimited. Along with other democratic mechanisms, the election of representatives allows citizens to be part of important decisions for the future of the nation.

Another point to highlight about a democratic system is that within it all citizens are equal before the law and it is sought that their freedoms and rights are respected, and that everyone fulfills certain duties. Thus, an attempt is made to ensure that in a democratic nation there are environments of harmony and freedoms are not violated.

Examples of democratic nations

According to the Democracy Index (Democracy Index in English) of the Intelligence Unit The Economistin which the democratic performance of 167 countries is evaluated, the best examples of democracies in 2021 are:

• Norway (9.75/10 points)
• New Zealand (9.37/10 points)
• Finland (9.27/10 points)
• Sweden (9.26/10 points)
• Iceland (9.18/10 points)

Differences between democracy and dictatorship

Dictatorship or autocracy is understood as an authoritarian form of government in which a few (a leader and his followers, a political party, a military junta, among others) They impose their authority over the rest of the nation by force without transiting the regular channels and, therefore, without having the legitimation of the sovereign people.

Dictatorships can be of any ideological sign and they can respond to any purpose or objective. In some cases, it may be that the person or group comes to power in an undemocratic way, that is, through revolutions or coups d'état. In other cases, the rise to power may occur democratically, but over time the government begins to violate democratic principles and turns towards a dictatorship.

Within a dictatorship or autocracy, the one who governs brings together all the powers and the popular will is not listened to (for example, elections of representatives are suspended) and, in many cases, opposition can be persecuted or silenced.

These governments are of the non-democratic type, since in them Individual freedoms are limited or suppressed and fundamental rights are violated. Their rulers have no limitations when it comes to making decisions and directing the course of the nation, and they usually retain power indefinitely. Generally, the change of government occurs due to the death of the ruler or as a consequence of some drastic event or a revolution.

References

• “Democracy” in RAE.
• “Democracy is essential for the development of our municipalities” in the Government of Mexico.
• “What is the rule of law?” at the UN.
• “Democracy Index 2021” in Economist Intelligence.
• “Dictatorship” in RAE.
• “Democracy and citizenship” in the National Library of Congress of Chile.