Lessons of democracy: what is a plebiscite?

Modern national languages are constantly enriched with new words borrowed from the vocabulary of other peoples. Some terms are so significant that it is necessary to know their meaning to a cultural person. For example, what is a plebiscite? You know? If not, then let's deal with it.

Definition

Naturally, analyzing what a plebiscite is, it is necessary to consider the origin of the word itself. It turns out that it is made up of two sources. The first - "plebs" - means "common people". The second - "scitum" - translates as "decision" or "decree". If we put it together, it turns out that the plebiscite is the general solution of the whole population. I must say that arose in ancient Rome. There, a tradition was formed, when all citizens having the right to vote jointly decided on certain issues. This was necessary for execution by all who lived in the territory.

Main features

Arguing that such plebiscite, it is necessary to consider in detail its purposes and methods of realization. It is believed that this is an event in which all citizens can take part. In addition, it is called upon to intensify them to participate in the discussion of an important issue submitted for consideration. The list of such is not limited. But most often the plebiscite is organized to solve territorial or international issues vital for the state. In addition, this form of polling is used in voting for one candidate. For example, when it is necessary to express confidence in the president. So, to the question of what a plebiscite is, we get the answer that this is a massive poll with a wide coverage of the respondents. It should be noted that this event is paid from the treasury. It requires great material and human resources.

The theory of plebiscitary democracy

Given historical experience, French philosophers put forward this idea: in order to avoid the instability of society, the leader must rely on the opinion of the people, expressed not through representatives, but directly.
That is, for a conversation between the president and people, a representative body, the parliament, is not needed. You can simply monitor citizens' opinions through plebiscites, thereby establishing a balance of power and people. They called such a theory a plebiscitary democracy. It was developed in Germany, when the results of the referendum (1934), the Germans gave A. Hitler the powers of the president. That is, it turns out that the dictator empowers the people by using a plebiscite as a democratic procedure. The definition of the future policy of the state in this case depends on the personality of the leader.

What is the difference between a plebiscite and a referendum?

First of all, it is necessary to highlight the goal-setting in carrying out these activities. The referendum is a democratic procedure for the participation of citizens in solving state problems.
It is applied when it is necessary to know the opinion of the majority of the population. Now in many countries there is preparation of referendums on issues of statehood of the territories. For example, Quebec regularly finds out the opinion of citizens on the issue of secession from Canada. About the same topic discusses the inhabitants of Scotland and Catalonia. This process is democratic, long, requiring intense work of state bodies and public organizations. Often a referendum is used to form public opinion. That is, in the process of discussing the issue, people's attitude towards him changes. The plebiscite is held when it is required to urgently solve the issue of special significance not only for the state, but for every citizen. It is known from history that this form of "conversation" with the people was often used by strong leaders to gain uncontrolled power. So Louis Bonaparte legitimized his position in 1851.