Lideta Catholic Cathedral School

Citizenship – Group work

10 - G

DEMOCRACY

FOR:-
SUBMISSION DATE፦
GROUP-NAME

1) Abigiya Asefa
2) Aklesiya Getachew
3) Amanuel Gobeze
4) Amanuel Haylay
5) Amanuel Yalew
6) Barkot Tsegasetegn
7) Bemnet Ayele
8) Bereket Atsebehe
9) Bereket Seyum
10)Barnabas Dejene
Introduction
Democracy, derived from the Ancient Greek words δημοκρατία (dēmokratía), dēmos
‘people’ and kratos ‘rule’, is a system of government where power resides with the
people or the general population of a state. The United Nations describes democracy
as an environment that respects human rights and fundamental freedoms, and where
the freely expressed will of people is exercised. This form of government has been
adopted by numerous countries around the world, each with its unique interpretation
and implementation.

Origin of Democracy
The term “democracy” first appeared in the 5th century BC in Greek city-states like
Classical Athens to mean “rule of the people”, in contrast to aristocracy
(ἀριστοκρατία, aristokratía), meaning “rule of an elite”. Western democracy
originated in city-states such as Classical Athens and the Roman Republic. Initially,
democratic citizenship was restricted to an elite class but was later extended to all
adult citizens through suffrage movements in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Athenian democracy took the form of a direct democracy, and it had two
distinguishing features: the random selection of ordinary citizens to fill the few
existing government administrative and judicial offices, and a legislative assembly
consisting of all Athenian citizens. All eligible citizens were allowed to speak and
vote in the assembly, which set the laws of the city state. However, Athenian
citizenship excluded women, slaves, foreigners (μέτοικοι / métoikoi), and youths
below the age of military service Effectively, only 1 in 4 residents in Athens qualified
as citizens. Owning land was not a requirement for citizenship. The exclusion of large
parts of the population from the citizen body is closely related to the ancient
understanding of citizenship. In most of antiquity the benefit of citizenship was tied to
the obligation to fight war campaigns.
Athenian democracy was not only direct in the sense that decisions were made by the
assembled people, but also the most direct in the sense that the people through the
assembly, boule and courts of law controlled the entire political process and a large
proportion of citizens were involved constantly in the public business. Even though
the rights of the individual were not secured by the Athenian constitution in the
modern sense (the ancient Greeks had no word for "rights"[]), those who were citizens
of Athens enjoyed their liberties not in opposition to the government but by living in a
city that was not subject to another power and by not being subjects themselves to the
rule of another person.
Range voting appeared in Sparta as early as 700 BC. The Spartan ecclesia was an
assembly of the people, held once a month, in which every male citizen of at least 20
years of age could participate. In the assembly, Spartans elected leaders and cast votes
by range voting and shouting (the vote is then decided on how loudly the crowd
shouts). Aristotle called this "childish", as compared with the stone voting ballots used
by the Athenian citizenry. Sparta adopted it because of its simplicity, and to prevent
any biased voting, buying, or cheating that was predominant in the early democratic
elections.
Even though the Roman Republic contributed significantly to many aspects of
democracy, only a minority of Romans were citizens with votes in elections for
representatives. The votes of the powerful were given more weight through a system
of weighted voting, so most high officials, including members of the Senate, came
from a few wealthy and noble families. In addition, the overthrow of the Roman
Kingdom was the first case in the Western world of a polity being formed with the
explicit purpose of being a republic, although it didn't have much of a democracy. The
Roman model of governance inspired many political thinkers over the centuries.
Vaishali, capital city of the Vajjika League (Vrijji mahajanapada) of India, was also
considered one of the first examples of a republic around the 6th century BC.
Other cultures, such as the Iroquois Nation in the Americas also developed a form of
democratic society between 1450 and 1660 (and possibly in 1142), well before
contact with the Europeans. This democracy continues to the present day and is the
world's oldest standing representative democracy. This indicates that forms of
democracy may have been invented in other societies around the world.
Types of Democracies
There are two main types of democracies: direct and representative.

Direct Democracy: A direct democracy, or pure democracy, is a type of democracy

where the people govern directly. It requires wide participation of citizens in politics.
An example of this is the Athenian democracy, or classical democracy, which refers
to a direct democracy developed in ancient times in the Greek city-state of Athens.
Switzerland is a prime example.

Representative Democracy: A representative democracy is an indirect democracy

where sovereignty is held by the people’s representatives. A liberal democracy is a
representative democracy with protection for individual liberty and property by rule of
law. An example of this type is the United States, where the power to govern comes
from the people, but elected officials represent their interests.
There are other several types of democracy, each with its own characteristics and
examples.

Participatory Democracy: Participatory democracy is a model of democracy in

which citizens have the power to decide directly on policy and politicians are
responsible for implementing those policy decisions. An example of participatory
democracy today can be seen in local and state forms of government, where citizens
have multiple access points to influence policymakers. Taiwan is an example of this
democracy.

Pluralist Democracy: Pluralist democracy is a model of democracy in which no one

group dominates politics and organized groups compete with each other to influence
policy. Mexico has moved from state control of interest groups through corporatism to
a pluralist system that allows more autonomy and influence on government by the
people of the country.

Elite Democracy: Elite democracy is a model of democracy in which a small number

of people, usually those who are wealthy and well-educated, influence political
decision making. While it’s challenging to find a pure example of an elite democracy
in the modern world, historical examples such as the Roman Republic, where only
males of the nobility could run for office and only wealthy males could vote, can
serve as examples.

Features of Democracy
Democracy often includes freedoms such as assembly, association, personal property,
religion, speech, citizenship, consent of the governed, voting rights, freedom from
unwarranted governmental deprivation of life and liberty, and minority rights. These
features are considered essential for a functioning democracy as they ensure that
citizens can express their views freely and participate in the decision-making process.

Evolution of Democracy
The concept of democracy has evolved significantly over time. Evidence of direct
democracy can be found throughout history, where communities made decisions
through popular assembly. Today, representative democracy is more common, where
citizens elect government officials to govern on their behalf. This shift from direct to
representative democracy was largely driven by the growth in population size and
complexity of societal issues.

Decision Making in Democracies

Majority rule is a common decision-making approach in democracies, although other
approaches like supermajority and consensus are also used. These approaches serve to
include more voices and lend broader legitimacy on sensitive issues. They ensure that
decisions are not made by a small group but reflect the views of a larger portion of the
population.

Democracy vs Other Forms of Government

Democracy contrasts with forms of government where power is held by an individual
or a small number of individuals, such as in autocratic systems like absolute monarchy
or oligarchy. Karl Popper defined democracy in contrast to dictatorship or tyranny,
focusing on opportunities for the people to control their leaders and oust them without
needing a revolution.

Current State of Democracy

As of 2022, less than half the world’s population lives in a democracy according to
the V-Dem Democracy indices and The Economist Democracy Index. There has been
a rise in hybrid regimes and democratic backsliding since the early to mid-2010s. This
trend highlights the challenges faced by democracies around the world.

The state of democracy around the world has been a topic of concern in recent years.
According to the Economist Democracy Index, only 24 countries in the world have
been rated as ‘full democracies’, representing 8% of the world’s population1. This
category includes all Scandinavian countries, several Western European nations, as
well as Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Mauritius, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan and
Latin American countries Uruguay, Costa Rica and Chile1.

It is estimated that 37% of the world’s population lives under authoritarian rule (59 of
the 167 countries and territories analyzed)1. Russia recorded the largest democratic
decline of all countries in the world, falling 22 places from the previous ranking to
146th1. Globally, the three worst-rated countries are Afghanistan, Myanmar and North
Korea1.

The Global State of Democracy Report 2022 also highlights that democracy is under
both literal and figurative assault around the world2. The report mentions that global
opinion surveys show that this period has coincided with declining public faith in the
value of democracy itself2.

These reports indicate that while there are challenges to democracy worldwide, there
are also countries that continue to uphold democratic values. It’s important to note
that these are broad observations and actual governance in each country may contain
elements from different types of democracies.

Conclusion
Democracy is a dynamic concept that has evolved over time. It is a system that
empowers individuals and promotes freedom and equality. Despite its challenges, it
remains one of the most favored forms of government worldwide. As we move
forward into an increasingly interconnected world, it will be interesting to see how
democracy continues to evolve.

Further Discussion
While democracy has many advantages such as promoting equality, freedom, and
transparency; it also has its challenges such as potential for majority rule at the
expense of minorities, risk of demagoguery where leaders manipulate popular opinion
for their own benefit rather than public good, and inefficiency due to bureaucratic red
tape.

Moreover, there are different models of democracy around the world that reflect
cultural differences. For example, Western democracies tend to emphasize individual
rights while Eastern democracies may focus more on collective rights.

Furthermore, there’s ongoing debate about how best to measure democracy. Some
argue that it should be based on procedural aspects such as free elections while others
believe substantive outcomes like social equality should be considered.

Finally, there’s increasing interest in exploring how technology can enhance

democratic processes through e-democracy initiatives such as online voting or
participatory budgeting platforms.