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Democracy
Democracy is a form of government in which the entire population decides on the political direction of a state, city or other political entity. This can be done through direct decisions on individual issues. In this case, referendums are held. It can also be done indirectly through elected representatives of the people. Typical examples in this case would be members of parliament who express their will in parliament. Such a parliament may exist at the state level, municipal level or other levels.
Problems in defining democracy
However, there is no uniform definition of democracy in academia. A study by Jean-Paul Gagnon from 2018 found 2,234 different adjectives used to describe democracy. Many definitions include the existence of free and fair elections, freedom of assembly, freedom of expression, minority rights, freedom of association, freedom of religion, pluralism, property rights, general welfare, the rule of law, social welfare and other criteria. Behind these many criteria is the consideration that otherwise the independence of free opinion-forming and expression of opinion cannot be guaranteed. However, this considerably restricts the classification of forms of government. The widespread assumption that all forms of government that are not democracies are dictatorships or autocracies cannot be upheld. The alternative would be to expand the range of terms used to describe forms of government, but this is equally unhelpful.
We have a very clear definition, for example, from Abraham Lincoln in his Gettysburg Address in 1863: government of the people, by the people, for the people
. Karl Popper stated that ... in brief, the theory that democracy is the rule of the people, and that the people have a right to rule
Historical perspective on democracy
The definitions presented correspond to the basic principle of today's understanding of democracy. In ancient times and the Middle Ages, democracy was also seen as a form of rule characterised by chaos, the arbitrariness of the masses and the rule of the people, in which demagogues incited the people to pass laws that were harmful to themselves. The description at that time was close to anarchy, because it was often imagined as a state of rule by the people without a legitimate government, such as a parliament or a president.
It was not until the 18th century, with the American War of Independence (1775-1783) and the French Revolution (1789-1799), that the modern understanding of democracy developed.
Word origin
The word democracy comes from the ancient Greek word δημοκρατία [demokratia]. It is composed of the terms δῆμος [demos] for ‘people’ and κράτος [kratos] for ‘power,’ ‘might’ and ‘rule.’
