Democratic Development \"No One Pretends That Democracy

¶ … Democratic Development

"No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government expcept all those other forms that have been tried over time," former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill famously asserted. Government has been a long-debated concept and the type of government best suited for people has also been a constant battle. Democracy is a relatively new concept since the inception of civilizations and one that requires much exploration in order to fully gain the complexities and intricacies of the concept.

In Greek, the word "democracy" means "rule by the (simple) people" which lays the foundation of what society defines the term as today, a "form of government, where a constitution guarantees basic personal and political rights, fair and free elections, and independent courts of law" (Jud). There are also key elements involved in the definition of democracy, which are components that are of value to society as well which include the separation of powers, freedom of opinion, religious liberty, general and equal ridge to vote, among others (Jud). These elements empower the simple people to govern themselves and have their own opinions and voice represented in government, one that will best represent them. Democracy to society is the ability to be heard, to be represented as oppose to other forms which may have leaders that govern by God, or govern on a single ideology (Jud). People believe this to be the best form of government because it is structured in such a way where citizens have the right to make changes and keep people in check, and at its essence, democracy is a government system for the people, by the people. "Most Africans (62%) continued to agree that 'democracy [as an ideal] is preferable to any other kind of government," and Africans are likely favorable to democracy because of the previous mentioned reasons (Handelman, 2011). This statistic serves as a macrocosm for many as it allows individuals to have power over their government, while still continuing on with their personal and professional lives.

In order for a society to transition into a democracy, there are a myriad of different factors that need to be addressed, more difficulties than meets the eye. In any transition, there will inevitably be some type of chaos- even if it's something as simple as taking one piece of candy from a child and replacing it with another, there is crying and fussing in the moments between. Taking those moments and amplifying it exponentially captures the difficulties in transitioning a society into democracy. For instance, when Russia "[transitioned] to capitalism and the enormous quantities of petroleum previously controlled by the state opened up a floodgate of corruption" and "in Cambodia, the communist regime has been replaced by a government of competing 'mafias'" (Handelman, 2011). The chaos that ensues when transitioning is a breeding ground for corruption and rival factions all striving for ultimate power. One of the many characteristics that make changing into a democracy difficult includes the right to vote, as setting up a system where there is no corruption and every person has an equal say is difficult. The corruption also gives rise to potential factions instilling fear in others and forcing them not to vote- for example, in Afghanistan, after the right to vote was granted to all, threats by the Taliban was said to have swayed the vote and left many people choosing their life over their vote (Filkins, 2009). U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton also addressed a "series of fundamentals she said were necessary for nations to make the transition to democracy: institutions rooted in law; equality for all, including women; a free press; economic opportunity; legitimate leaders" (Klapper, 2011). Setting up an administration that is not corrupt and represents the people well, allowing people the right to vote, among other characteristics, ensuring that basic liberties are maintained are all characteristics of democracy that make it difficult for any society to transition to it.

Despite the many difficulties, transition to democracy has occurred several times in history, including during the "Third Wave." The "Third Wave" refers to the third major surge of democracy in societies (Handelman, 2011). Some causes of the third wave include changes in the Catholic Church which started to emphasize individual rights, decreased favor of authoritarian regimes because of failure to perform and poor economic outcome, the global economic forum, and recently, the spread of democracy by the European Union and the United States (Handelman, 2011). The effects of the democratization include the inclusion of these countries in the global community and global economic exchange. Democracy in these places allowed for people to grow and express themselves and be represented in government, empowering them to be free to do the things that they wished to do.