Democracy

What is Democracy?

The 'modern' democracy is a form of government that is run by the people of that country through elections and representation. A democracy is really a form of a republic known as a democratic republic. A republic is a government where governers, elected by a small group of people, make the important decisions for their country. However, in ancient Greek, direct participation was applied for the government., A The word "democracy" comes from demos (Greek for the people) + kratos (Greek for rule) = democracy. Democracy has been around for almost 2500 years since Athens, Greece started applying the first democracy. At this point, it is crucial that we keep in mind the differences between modern and the Greeks' democracy - three key differences in particular: of scale, of participation and of eligibility.

Mainly, democracy needs involved, active, and well informed citizens, critical and unbiased press, a government that will do what is best for its citizens, a government that takes responsibility for all of its actions, good and bad. Democracy is not an all-or-nothing affair because society rules the society and everything is done for the society by people inside them whether they are elected (as in modern democracy) or not (as is Athenian democracy). Every government put some laws and propose some new laws every time

to keep their democracy modern for the best of their society. "It is a question of the degree to which citizens exercise control over political decision-making and are treated as equals" (International IDEA). These values of democracy are realized through political institutions and practices. There is no universal model of democracy.

It is cruel to remember that democracy is always in danger of becoming an unjust tyranny of the majority, a form o majority rule in which the majority uses public power to advance its own interests and oppress minorities. Democracies are also always in danger of becoming weak, when citizens lose any concern for the public good and any ability to work together

Athenian Democracy

Direct participation was the key to Athenian democracy. In the Assembly, every male citizen was not only entitled to attend as often as he pleased but also had the right to debate changes in law, and vote on proposals. Every man had a say in whether to declare war or stay in peace. It would seem that this kind of direct democracy might lead to anarchy at the worst and arbitrary decisions or unstable policies at the least. Athenian democracy worked fairly well. The main reason for its success was the quality of the citizens.

"Our city is called a democracy because it is governed by the many, not the few. In the realm of private disputes everyone is equal before the law, but when it is a matter of public honors each man is preferred not on the basis of his class but of his good reputation and his merit [arete]. No one, moreover, if he has it in him to do some good for the city, is barred because of poverty or humble origins." (Pericles).

Who is Pericles?

He was the Athenian leader who helped to rebuild Athens after the Persian Wars. Under his leadership, Athens entered its Golden Age. It was a peaceful and prosperous time for the city-state. Pericles was also dedicated to building Athenian democracy. Below is a biography of Pericles. It includes an excerpt from a speech given by Pericles at the funeral of Athenians killed in battle.

Pericles believed that Athens led all the Greeks in culture. He called Athens the "school of Greece." He also thought that Athens should lead the Greeks in government. He was a strong supporter of democracy and made reforms to encourage its growth. He believed that all citizens (native Athenian men over age 18) had an equal right to participate in government. Under his leadership, Athens paid the salaries of men who held public office. Poor men who could not afford to leave their jobs and farms to serve in public office could now do so.

"Pericles' vision was the culmination of a long process whereby the polis had tried to impose its communal, civic values on a society that had always been organized by family, clan, and tribe" (AEI, 2005). Pericles believed it could be achieved by the citizens of a democracy based on political equality. At the same time, he intended to create a quality of life never before known.

Citizenship

A citizen is a person who lives in a given plac and who has both a formal and an informal relationship with other people in that place. A citizen should obey the rules and laws for both its own benefit and country's benefit. Laws and rules are also made by other citizens who are elected from society so these laws and rules can be seen as the best results to govern a country. By obeying laws, citizens have right the question the rules and laws at the same time with no suspect. As a part of country, a citizen may call for some changes in laws if feels a necessity for it. To do this, society must be well-informed about the political issues. To be a citizen, to be elected or to elect every citizen has rights to vote or get others to vote. For