IIS MARZOTTO-LUZZATTI – SEDE ITICHALLENGES OF DEMOCRACYa.s.

2020/2021

The essence of Democracy

A democracy is a form of government that empowers the people to exercise political control, limits the power of the
heads of state, ensures the separation of powers between governmental entities, and protects universal
rights1 and civil liberties. In practice, democracy takes many different forms, the most common are the direct and the
representative.
In a direct democracy, all laws and public policy decisions are made directly by a majority vote whereas in
representative democracies citizens elect officials to pass laws and formulate public policy on their behalf. While direct
democracy is unique, most other types of democracy are variants of representative democracy. 

Democratic Principles
A majority of political scientists agree that most democracies are based on six foundational elements:
● Popular sovereignty: The principle that the government is created and maintained by the consent of the people
through their elected representatives.
● An Electoral System: Since the people are the source of all political power, a clearly defined system of free and fair2
elections is essential.
● Public Participation: Recent history shows that democracies rarely survive without the active participation of the
people. Healthy democracies enable and encourage the people to take part in their political and civic processes. 
● Separation of Powers3: In order to avoid the abuse of power, the constitutions of most democracies separate and
share it among the various governmental entities: the legislative, the executive and the judicial.
● Human Rights: Together with4 the rights and freedoms enumerated in their constitutions, democracies protect
the human rights of all citizens. In this context, human rights are those rights considered inherent to all human
beings, regardless of nationality, sex, national or ethnic origin, color, religion, language, or any other considerations.
● A Rule of Law: Also called due process of law, the rule of law is the principle that all citizens are accountable to
laws5 that are publicly created and equitably enforced in a manner consistent with human rights by an independent
judicial system.

Democracy issues in literature

The Remains of the Day: participation and regret
In “The Remains of the Day” the principle of public participation is questioned on many occasions. Stevens renounces
to actively express or even form opinions of his own, embracing the elitist political views of his employer, Lord
Darlington. He thinks men of the upper classes are more entitled to vote than other citizens. Stevens is entirely
influenced by the times in which he was brought up: in his view, a butler's place is to serve, not to worry about political
or economic questions.
In the light of Stevens's acceptance of such a restricted role, it is vital for him to feel he has chosen to serve the right
man, so that he can essentially live his life through the words and actions of that man. Stevens must admit in
retrospect that he had probably trusted the wrong man and therefore wasted his life owing to his blind loyalty.
Questions for reflection:
● What can we understand of Ishiguro’s opinions from the way he depicts Lord Darlington’s and from Stevens
regrettable experience? What do the scene of Mr Spencer and the dismissal of the 2 Jews housemaids show?

1
Universal rights: diritti universali
2
Fair: giuste
3
Why is separation of powers so important? Montesquieu the French jurist, who lived in England from 1729 until 1731, developed the doctrine of
separation of powers. He based his exposition on the English constitution of the early eighteenth century as he understood it. He followed attempts by
Aristotle and Locks in dividing the power of government. He explained that, in order to prevent the abuse of powers, the power of the government should not
be left entirely to one body or person; instead it should be separated or divided in some way. He went further and divided the power of government into three
major functions. These were: law-making function (the legislative), Law-applying function (the executive) and law-enforcing function (the judicial). This
separation of powers is perceived in the United Kingdom among the Monarch, Parliament and the Court of Law. One branch of government must not exercise
the power of another, for instance the executive should not be able to vote laws and decide when new elections should be held.
4
Together with: con
5
Accountable to law: responsabili di fronte alla legge (accountable: che devono render conto)

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IIS MARZOTTO-LUZZATTI – SEDE ITICHALLENGES OF DEMOCRACYa.s. 2020/2021

To Kill a Mockinbird: defending the rule of law in southern US in the

1930s
Justice is an important theme in To Kill a Mockingbird. In his closing remarks during Tom Robinson’s trial, Atticus tells
the jury, “Our courts have their faults, as does any human institution, but in this country our courts are the great
levelers, and in our courts all men are created equal.” In this idealized vision, the American justice system should
defend equality and the state of law. The jury should treat all individuals equally, regardless of their race or social
circumstance, because equality and lack of prejudice are essential preconditions to justice.
However, the jury finds Tom Robinson guilty even though it was physically impossible for him to commit the crime he’s
accused of, which shows that the system is deeply racist and unjust. Tom is wrongfully convicted for the rape of
Mayella Ewell. Although Atticus has hopes for his appeal, he is shot and killed while trying to escape prison. His death
ensures that he will never receive justice through the legal system.
Learning to cope with injustice is an ongoing struggle for the book’s main characters, who must continue to fight for
justice even as they recognize the difficulty of their quest.
“Atticus, are we going to win it?”
“No, honey.”
“Then, why—”
“Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win,” Atticus said.”
Questions for reflection:
● How are Democracy and justice interrelated?
● Can a legal system enforce the rule of law and inequality at the same time? Give examples
● Democracy is the rule of majority. What does the story show about this assumption?

Adapted and abridged from:

“What Is Democracy? Definition and Examples”, by Robert Longley. (https://www.thoughtco.com/ )

“Why a separation of powers is important”,

(https://www.lawteacher.net/free-law-essays/constitutional-law/why-a-separation-of-powers-is-important-
constitutional-law-essay.php?vref=1)

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