DEMOCRACY: ORIGIN AND HISTORY, CHARACTERISTICS AND EXAMPLES - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The democracy is a system of government in which power is exercised by the people. This means that, through the exercise of the vote and other social actions, a community has the power to decide on the different political situations that a country or state faces.

Likewise, democracy can be practiced directly by the people; However, in large societies - as in most communities today - the people exercise power through the election of agents or representatives who were chosen by the citizens through a process of selection and voting.

Norway is one of the countries with a fully democratic system. Source: pixabay.com

According to some politicians and great figures in history, such as Abraham Lincoln, democracy is "the government of the people, by the people and for the people." For this reason the word democracy is associated with freedom, although these concepts are not synonymous.

This is because democracy, applied to empirical existence, brings with it a series of principles and procedures that have been established and modified throughout the history of humanity; Consequently, it can be argued that democracy is not freedom, but the institutionalization of it.

It can be established that democracy consists of a group of attitudes, values ​​and practices that are adopted by different cultures and societies of the world. Due to these cultural differences, the concept of democracy can suffer alterations: for example, there is a gap between the democratic approaches of the East and the West.

Throughout history, democracy has fluctuated markedly; in fact, the concept that is used today responds to a very recent phase of political systems. Some consider that its most forceful evolution occurred in the 18th century, especially in countries such as the United States and England.

Today, the word "democracy" has been misinterpreted and used by populist and dictatorial regimes, which manipulate the masses to come to power. However, it can be said that despite a turbulent history and countless totalitarian governments, democratic ideals have remained valid and are constantly evolving.

Origin and history

Etymology of the word and its relationship with power

The word "democracy" comes from the union of two Greek words: demos (people) and kratos (power). The suffix - kratos was also used to form other concepts of government, such as aristocracy, autocracy, and bureaucracy.

In opposition, the words monarchy and oligarchy refer to systems of government that come from the Greek suffix - arkhos, which is related in a similar way to the translation of "power"; however, it is an older and archaic conception of power.

So, the word arkhos implies an interpretation of power that responds to the original and oldest manifestations of man, such as religion and the family. On the contrary, cracias are conceptual constructions that were established after the arrival of fire, agriculture and the machine.

Consequently, democracy as “power of the people” involves a construction that is not intrinsic to the origins of the human being, but rather arose when a greater development of the motor and mental abilities of man took place.

The rise of democracy in Athens: the laws of Solon and Dracon

Ancient Greek culture, praised for its great inventions such as theater, secular history, and philosophy, was also responsible for the creation of democracy. However, this did not happen quickly and directly; This Hellenic culture gradually developed this concept over the course of a century and a half.

In the city of Athens, during the years 620 and 593 a. C., the laws of Solón and Dracón were received, being these the main pillar for the foundation of democracy.

These laws were important for the history of mankind since in these a distinction was made between the laws of Nature (governed by the gods) and human laws, applied to the city.

Until that moment the Greeks had lived like the rest of the primitive communities, being harassed by the forces of nature and by the military attacks of other peoples. They defended themselves as best they could while being ruled despotically by a warrior leader.

With the arrival of Solon and Dracon, the Athenians began to be governed by a new form of abstract and impersonal power that they called nomos (equivalent to law or norm). This power came from the bosom of the polis and had as its main ideal the eunomy, which means "the good law"; in other words, the right ordering of the community.

From that moment on, the Athenian form of government did not consist of a king who "commanded", but rather was a ruler who "legislated". Since then, each time someone assumed command, they could no longer rule arbitrarily, but had to abide by the framework of the law.

Origins of the republic and other events that promoted democracy

After organizing the city according to constitutional laws, the Athenians decided to name it a politeia, which is now known as a republic. In this way, democracy began to be presented in Athens: through continuous legislative transformations of the politeia.

After the foundation of the politeia, the democracy knew two very important instances: in the year 507 a. C. Clístenes decided to found a democratic republic.

Later, in 462, Pericles founded what is known today as plenary democracy, which consisted of a very pure and daring democracy that had never been implemented before in ancient times.

The path of democracy in Athenian culture had its ups and downs. In 560 Pisistratus established a tyranny that lasted until his grandson Cleisthenes assumed power. Despite backing down on legislative and democratic issues, Pisístrato achieved great public works and notable economic progress.

By assuming power, Cleisthenes not only reestablished the republic but also exercised a democratic bias. This ruler decided to reorganize the town based on the deme, which were neighborhoods where men who fell into the category of "citizen" (or polites) lived and who had the right to participate in political activities.

characteristics

Democracy, as it is known today, has a series of universal characteristics that generally conform to the cultural traditions of each country. These characteristics are the following:

-Democracy consists of a form of government in which adult citizens have the right and duty to exercise power and civic responsibility; This can be done directly or through representatives who have been previously chosen by the majority.

-The main axis of democracy is to avoid centralized governments, focusing on the defense of both individual and collective rights. To avoid governments of this type, democracy divides power into various levels of localities and regions.

-Democracies recognize that they have a duty to protect basic human rights, as well as to protect freedom of expression and religion. Likewise, a healthy democracy is characterized by upholding equality of opportunity and participation in the development of the political, economic and cultural life of a society.

-In turn, democracies must periodically hold fair and free elections, open to all citizens who are of the appropriate age to vote.

-The values ​​of democracy are based on tolerance, commitment and collaboration. For their part, citizens are obliged to participate in the political system, and it must protect the freedoms of its citizens.

Types of democracy

See main article on types of democracy.

Democracy as a form of government

Democracy as a form of government must guarantee the functioning of two main instruments: political parties and universal suffrage.

Political parties

The parties must be made up of citizens who have the objective of satisfactorily carrying out a specific government program, which they consider appropriate and beneficial for the development of the country.

The existence of political parties is essential within a healthy democracy, since it allows the divergence of ideas and multiplies the options of programs. Through the plurality of the parties, the development of a social life that is governed by freedom is guaranteed. When there is only one party, democracy is threatened.

Universal suffrage

As for universal suffrage, this consists of a procedure whose purpose is to make the opinion of the majority of citizens known by holding free elections. Through voting, a citizen expresses his opinion about a group of candidates, choosing the one of his preference.

When speaking of universal suffrage, it is intrinsically established that all citizens have the right to vote, without any type of restriction or reservation to citizens of certain conditions.

This mechanism has suffered countless criticisms throughout history since, being so egalitarian, it often happens that an irresponsible majority imposes a totalitarian or dictatorial government through its right to vote.

For example, this happened in the 1933 elections in Germany, when it was the majority who put the dictator and genocidal Adolf Hitler in power.

Democracy as a way of life

Great philosophers and thinkers have established that democracy is much more than a system of government, as it is also an attitude towards life that requires certain values ​​applicable not only to the political sphere, but also to the cultural and economic sphere.

The division of powers, the rotation of civil servants and free elections occupy only the most formal aspect of democracy, since it also feeds on certain principles that structure and shape society; This can be seen reflected in the daily life of all those who make up a country.

In other words, democracy as a way of life supposes an awareness of citizenship, since it allows certain freedoms to act; It also supposes a high-ranking moral base, so that all citizens must assume responsibilities in order to enjoy democratic benefits, such as guarantees.

Democracy values

As established in previous paragraphs, democracy is not only a form of government, but also a set of principles and values ​​that integrate and build an entire society. Some of the most important values ​​that emerge from this concept are the following:

Freedom

Freedom requires a capacity for self-government and to assume a series of social obligations. This value applies to all citizens, whether they are political leaders or people without influence in the masses.

Equality

It seeks to guarantee that all individuals have the same obligations and rights, without there being any kind of favoritism within some privileged groups.

Through equality, the recognition of both civil and political rights of all citizens is ensured.

Justice

Some Democrats define justice as that constant will that seeks to "grant each his own." Justice is considered a universal virtue that guarantees security, order and peace within communities.

Examples of countries with democracy

Taking into account the democracy index - which consists of a classification of the most democratic countries - a series of examples can be established of those nations that are closest to the full exercise of this concept.

Some countries that exercise full democracy are: Norway, Iceland, Sweden, New Zealand, Canada, Australia, Switzerland, Uruguay, Spain and Costa Rica. There are some countries that have an imperfect democracy, such as: Chile, the United States, Portugal, France, Italy and Belgium.

There are also some countries with a hybrid regime, which means that they are a mixture of imperfect democracy with totalitarianism, such as: El Salvador, Albania, Bolivia, Ukraine, Honduras, Bangladesh, Guatemala, Tanzania, Morocco, Bosnia, Haiti and the Lebanon.

Currently there are many countries that do not know democracy, since they are under totalitarian regimes, such as: Jordan, Egypt, Mozambique, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Vietnam, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Syria and North Korea.

References

1. (SA) (sf) Democracy in synthesis. Retrieved on April 21, 2019 from the Office of International Information Programs: usinfo.state.gov
2. Dahl, R. (sf) What is democracy? Retrieved on April 21, 2019 from Research Gate: researchgate.net
3. Grondona, M. (2000) History of democracy. Retrieved on April 21, 2019 from Universidad del Cema: ucema.edu.ar
4. Ortega, J. (sf) Origins and development of democracy: some comparative reflections. Retrieved on April 22, 2019 from UCM: ucm.es
5. Rodríguez, B. (2010) Political philosophy: democracy. Retrieved on April 22, 2019 from UNAM: archivos.juridicas.unam.mx