Page 30 - Issue 26

Vol.1 Issue 26, December 2020 ELITE

Democracy, a strong system ?

Mariam eldeeb

According to the ancient historian Thucydides, At the end of the Second World War, there was a
democracy is a regime where “power is in the hands not of the significant rise in democratization throughout the world.
few but of the majority ”. The word “democracy ” is derived from
Countries like India have started democratizing sin ce
the greek words ” Demos ” meaning “people ” and “Kratos ”
1947, right after their decolonization. The 1948
meaning “power ”. Therefore, we can define the democratic ideal
Universal Declaration of the Rights of Men serves a s
as being, according to Abraham Lincoln, the ” government of the
their democratic model. This text specifies the
people, by the people and for the people ”. Thus, we can pose the
fundamental principles of democracy, such as the
question: Is democracy a strong regime that guarantees the
separation of powers by Montesquieu, the holding of free
stability and continuity of countries? First of all, we will
elections, the multiparty system, as well as fundam ental
approach the boom of democracy, its principles and its
human rights such as equality, freedom of thought a nd
advancements. Furthermore, we will broach its fragilities ,all
expression, the right to property. , ...
while proposing some solutions.
However, this democratization proc ess is very
In search of a regime that assures the stability and
fragile. We have countries like Chile in 1973, whic h
continuity of the city state, Athens experimented in the antiquity
have taken the opposite course and have reverted ba ck to
with several political regimes, passing through monarchy,
dictatorship. The number of democracies seems to be on
oligarchy, before arriving to democracy in the fifth century
the decline over the past 20 years. The democratic
before JC. In fact, direct democracy was born in Athens with the
climate is deteriorating all over the world. In old
establishment of institutions such as the helice and the boul ê who
democracies, the will of the people is not always a ssured.
hold respectively the legal and executive powers. Magistrates are
elected or drawn by lot for one year, which ensures a rapid For example, in the United States in the 2016 elect ion,
rotation of power. In the Ecclesia, all citizens can discuss and Clinton beat Trump by more than 2M popular votes, b ut
vote on laws, ostracism, war, and peace. In contrast, citizenship
lost the election. In Russia, despite the holding o f free
in Athens is very limited. Women, foreigners and slaves are not
elections, opponents are prosecuted and the press
granted this legal-political status.
controlled.
After the American War of Independence and the
In conclusion, democracy has as a f undamental
French Revolution, debates around democracies multiply. In his
principle the assurance of the freedoms set out in the
book "From the Democracy of the Ancients compared to that of
Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The forms of
the Moderns", Benjamin Constant discusses the freedom of the
democracy change over the centuries to meet the
elders to be able to participate in political life, but the individual
definition of freedom. On the other hand, democracy ,
is subject to the authority of the community. On the other hand,
which flourished in the 20th century, is starting t o
freedom from the point of view of the Moderns is to be able to
weaken nowadays. One question begs to be asked: ‘is the
enjoy individual freedoms. For Constant, the only regime that
erosion of democracy irresistible ’,as Vladimir Putin
allows these two freedoms to coexist is representative
proclaims in a long interview with the financial ti mes, or
democracy, where the people delegate representatives to make
can it still be saved?
decisions.
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