“We the people.”
The Idea that common people ultimately hold power is a unique and tenuous belief.
In 2024 we are hearing a lot about the upcoming Presidential election being a real test of whether democracy will still be relevant in the United States.
But what does “Democracy” really mean? In a previous post I asked the same question about “socialism.” I could neither come to a conclusion, consensus nor get a clear answer from anyone else to my question, “What is socialism?”
Some people “rail” against America becoming a socialist country. And yet, no country on earth has a total government control of the means of production which is the classic definition of socialism. The word has come to mean whatever one wants it to mean.
Hopefully, I can at least partially answer the question, “What is a Democracy?”
Throughout most of human history mankind has had one person or a very small group of people (almost all of whom were men) who made all of the rules. Ancient Greeks, the Romans and later the Brits with the Magna Carta all are credited with fostering democratic principles. In reality, however, none of these attempts really intended for “everyone” to have a say. At best, these efforts shared power among a few chosen people.
Plato went further arguing democracy is irrational as it places power in the hands of the uninformed, common citizenry. He argued instead in favor of an unelected elite whose rule is justified because they alone are rational agents; in possession of political expertise.
It is always easier to just follow the rules of law put out by dictators whether they went by King, Emperor or some other title. The result has been the same: One person makes all the rules.
Some single rulers in history have been termed as being “benevolent dictators”. From what I can see, these individuals were, “not as bad” as the rulers that came before them. Even then, one might fairly ask, “benevolent to/for whom.”
Few who live under them have ever questioned kings and other autocratic leaders. Even fewer have lived to tell about it.
“Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.…’
Winston Churchill (November 1947).
The old “Bulldog” makes a strong case. But what exactly does “democracy” mean?
In the US we actually live in a republic. Some people make a big deal out of America being a “republic” and not a “democracy.” In my mind the two words are pretty much synonymous. Webster’s defines a republic as a form of government where the people choose their leaders and in democracies the citizens elect government officials to rule on their behalf. Seems like two sides of the same coin to me.
Don’t be fooled by lables. The official name of North Korea is The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Just saying one is “democratic” does not make it so.
And don’t confuse the U.S. political party names with the ability of individuals to chose. Both parties have changed their stances over the years and both see themselves as representing the will of the people.
Degree Matters
All dictatorships are not the same, neither are all democracies. Attempts have been made by a number of more or less independent sources to develop indices of democracy. All of these democracy measurement groups have different criteria but they all see the world as being governed by a range of different types of governments ranging from Free Democracies to total autocracies.
For me “democracy” is one of those concepts that fall under the, “I know it when I see it” umbrella.
Size Matters
What works in a small group, such as coming to a consensus within a congregation or among teammates on an athletic or work team, falls apart when the group gets too big. I don’t know the exact number that is too large, but at some point there are just too many people/voices and the individual feels lost and unheard.
It is also the case that we just cannot keep up with all of the knowledge needed to make sound decisions. That is why virtually all democracies have settled on one form or another of Representative Democracy: We choose others to make the decisions on our behalf.
Unlike Plato’s vision, most modern democracies allow all adult citizens to choose who represents them – the method for doing this being the vote. As Churchill pointed out, democracies are far from perfect. Detailing the abuses our elected leaders have made over the years would take way more time than I am willing to spend here now.
Like most important questions, the answer to “What is a democracy” is not black and white. Some countries are “more democratic” than others.
Voting
Clearly the right to vote freely is the defining difference between democracies and autocracies. But is “voting” itself enough?
Additionally there must be a clear choice between candidates. Lots of people “vote” in Russia, but there is only one choice, Vladimir Putin.
Gerrymandering also can result in situation where the majority does not get to rule. Votes are involuntarily concentrated to ensure one party has a disportioncate number of representatives. People are allowed to “vote” but they really don’t have fair representation.
Finally, there must be an acceptance of the outcome of the vote by the candidates and the vast majority of the population. We need only look South to Venezuela to see what happens when power is concentrated with no checks and balances. Nicolas Madero has disregarded election results, rewritten the country’s constitution and is now able to rule by dictate – he personally decides what the “law” is. Madero assumed power in 2013 and has shown no intention of ever giving it up.
These criteria for voting/democracy raise a nagging question, “Does my vote even matter?” Or even more importantly, “Do we need to take actions to ensure we still have a democracy?”
Your thoughts? (Click on Leave a Comment below).
