What Is Democracy?

The simple definition of this word is government by the people. A pure democracy would involve all citizens in political and legislative discussions or in a representative democracy these citizens would have a slightly indirect control with elected representatives.

Some have come to call the United States democracy a representative republic, as opposed to a democracy. This change in viewpoint came about as the population was distanced from decision making by less-approachable representatives and by special interest groups and companies whose influence has grown over time.

But the true definition of democracy states that it is a system for choosing government through free elections. The population may also replace those in government office through the same or similar process. A democracy in its truest form also has active, involved citizens. Other key elements of democracy are interest in the protection of human rights and especially the rights of citizens of the democracy.

The basis for the word democracy is the Greek word “demos” which means people. Thus, the people have control over the government and the laws, though as explained earlier this is usually carried out through elected representatives. Some have argued that a pure democracy is not just rare, it is actually impossible. Sheer numbers in the population would prevent everyone from having an equal voice in discussing and making laws.

One definition calls democracy the institutional form of freedom. But critics of this view argue that institutionalizing anything changes that entity into something else. Consequently, freedom no longer exists when it is significantly institutionalized. Of course, the compromise is majority rule.

Representatives are elected when a larger number of people choose one person over another. Even if two more people vote for Candidate A than for Candidate B, Candidate A is the representative. The minority voters in this case must be satisfied with the outcome and see the elected representative as their choice too.

In a true democracy, each individual has an equal voice, but in the representative republic/democracy just described, many in the minority feel they have lost their voice when they “lost” the election.

A key to maintain something like democracy under any system is to make sure that all citizens are treated equally under the law. This is a right that comes with citizenship in a democracy. But citizens also have important responsibility in a democracy. The citizen must stay informed and stay interested, to protect the rights they have and the freedom they enjoy.

With a history dating back thousands of years, the concept of democracy was a key element in the success of city-states. But even in these less-populated times, it was not convenient for men (who had the vote) to meet, discuss ideas and make decisions when there was other work to do. Elected representatives were the answer then and elected representatives have come to be the answer now. Some might feel that this altered form of democracy is less than satisfactory, with inherent problems such as personal interests taking precedence over public good. A wise man once said that democracy is an ongoing experiment in government.

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