What is democracy? All current politics and international relations revolve around this definition. Numerous opposition forces regularly accuse each other of a lack of democracy. World states that have Other management principles, become outcasts. The apogee of all this triumph of democracy in the late 20th century was the concept of the famous American philosopher and political scientist Francis Fukuyama about the end of time. According to this influential modern thinker, after the break-up of the advanced states of the socialist camp and the departure of China from the orthodox Maoist positions, it became clear that liberal values (which are usually identified with democracy) are the highest point of the development of human civilization. Democracy in modern Russia, which replaced the old command and administrative system, is, according to the political scientist, the best evidence of this. A viable alternative to it could not be offered either by monarchical or fascist regimes, let alone attempts by Eastern religious leaders to establish Islamic domination.
What is democracy? Origins
The birth of this phenomenon is attributed to the political structure of Greek cities-policies, government bodies which were elected by secret ballot Among the citizens of such a city. The authorities (for example, Areopagus, Boulle, Archon councils and others) were often elected for a limited period of time from recognized competent members of the community. There was an interesting procedure in ancient Greece, designed to prevent the usurpation of power. When one of the wealthy citizens or simply high-ranking officials became too powerful and threatened the democratic principles of government, a procedure of so-called ostracism - "shamming" - was carried out, when through secret voting with the help of shards such a potential tyrant could be expelled from the city for ten years. With the decline of ancient Greek civilization, many of its achievements were taken up by the Latins, who created a powerful Roman state. They also developed the concept of democracy. It was there that the citizenship, which was close to the modern concept, was born , and also, in the period of the republic, the separation of branches of power. And, of course, electivity.
What is democracy? New time
With the fall of Rome and the establishment of barbarian peoples throughout Europe, many achievements, including political ones, have been lost for millennia. The cult of the military's oldest strength and their commander in the barbarians was replaced by hereditary privileges of royal dynasties and noble families that were descendants of that same military elite. Once again, humanity remembered what democracy is, only with the Renaissance and the thinkers of the new time: Hobbes, Locke, Montesquieu, Rousseau and many others. One of the key moments in the formation of the modern world order was the Great French Revolution of 1789, when for the first time the king, previously untouchable in any country, was banished for the first time, and the people Proclaimed himself the supreme bearer of power. Of course, no one healed clover immediately after this. Progress still had to deal with the reaction around the world, but the following centuries, the nineteenth and twentieth, were a time of constant affirmation of human and civil rights and freedoms.
Democracy: the pros and cons
The principle of the rule of law and the inviolability of the human person was finally established in modern political and social thought. However, in addition to colossal achievements, democracy still has many critics who rightly pay attention to a number of its shortcomings. The main drawback of such a device is derived from dignity. The universal right to choose power, of course, is in theory a guarantee that the people can choose their own path of development. However, it should be recognized that not all the population of the country is equal in its education and just information about the political trends in general, the economic situation in the country, international relations, and so on. In such a situation, this may mean a wrong choice on the part of a significant number of citizens.