Political question...?

Question

Apart from having the right to vote, what other features make up a democracy??

I have been off school for 2 weeks as have broken leg, been given some work to do....I've looked for an answer to this question on the internet, but can't find anything. Can you help me out?

Have already been on wikipedia, guys, it was of no use. And I don't have any books on democracy, school didn't even provide any resources. **Sigh** what is the world coming to?

Answer 1

Here's a government website that might help.
http://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/whatsdem/whatdm2.htm

Answer 2

Democracy has it's origins in ancient greece. The thought was that everyone should play a direct part in government....that's a bit of a generalisation but it'll suffice as an explanation.

Modern democracy is different. We vote to elect those with the same beliefs as us....this is so that they can represent us fully in parliament. The decision making process (ideally, whether this happens remains to be seen) relies on each member of parliament casting a vote that represents their constituents.

Part of this process is transparancy, the freedom to choose another candidate, to raise concerns with your MP....An individual can also participate in government, by joining a pressure group. Groups like Greenpeace are such an example. They use campaigns, research and literature to put pressure on the government to influence policy and research.

The other features of democracy are easy to pin down if you compare them to a restrictive regime like communism....

In a democracy there are loads of different parties to choose from, those which best match your views. In communist russia and china this didn't exist, there were no alternative parties. There is a free press in a democracy, you are allowed to speak out against your government, frequent elections, referendums (if they are deemed neccessary) and the governmental system is accountable for its actions....which means the judiciary in this country can penalise a government. There are checks and balances on the power of government.

Musings on the benefits of a democracy can be found in works by Plato onwards....

Answer 3

Democracy is a form of government. Today, the term democracy is often used to refer to liberal democracy, but there is no necessity that democracies be liberal (respectful of individual liberty and property) and in some cases may be illiberal democracies. There are many other varieties and the methods used to govern differ. While the term democracy is typically used in the context of a political state, the principles are also applicable to other bodies such as intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental organizations, labor unions, industry trade groups, professional bodies, and learned societies.

Answer 4

Let's start with the definition.

de·moc·ra·cy

NOUN:
pl. de·moc·ra·cies
1. Government by the people, exercised either directly or through elected representatives.
2. A political or social unit that has such a government.
3. The common people, considered as the primary source of political power.
4. Majority rule.
5. The principles of social equality and respect for the individual within a community.

Also --

pure democracy

NOUN:

A democracy in which the power to govern lies directly in the hands of the people rather than being exercised through their representatives.

Based on these definitions, there is only one basic feature of a democracy, and it is the exercise of the power to govern by the people, usually through representatives, but in some cases directly (pure democracy). That exercise of power is usually by voting, for representatives or on specific issues or proposed governmental actions.

The cited webpage gives an excellent discussion of the various forms of democracy, referring in the main to the British system, but with almost equal application to that of the United States. I strongly suggest you view that page.

I must respectfully disagree with previous posters who indicate that freedoms of various types are a feature of democracy. They may be a feature of the democracy as applied in Britain or the United States (classified as "liberal democracies"), but there are democracies that do not have these rights guaranteed (such as Singapore), and there are many countries that have elections that claim to be democracies that have very few of such freedoms. (The late and mainly unlamented Saddam Hussein held elections where he claimed to receive 98% of the vote -- few freedoms there.) Even in the United States and Britain, our "freedoms" are far from absolute, and are constantly being eroded by the Government. Also, such freedoms can theoretically exist under other forms of government, such as a dictatorship or oligarchy -- unlikely, but theoretically possible.

Answer 5

The right to free speech,,,,
Equality be twine men and woman,,,,
The right to a fare hearing,,,,
The right to move freely round our country,,,,
The right to be treated with respect,,,,regardless of colour or disability
their are meany other features see how mane more you can come up with
these are just some of the things we would loose if we ware governed by say the Muslims
woman would be second class people and could beat up by their Muslims husbands
but their other people out their who want to change our system of government you must decide what you want and fight for that

Answer 6

A democratic government is best summed up in Lincoln's phrase: 'by the people, of the people, for the people' (I paraphrase).

The democratic principle is one of both equality and liberty. In the West, we have 'liberal democracies' - ones that emphasis liberty, even at the expense of equality. The former German Democratic Republic (East Germany) was a democracy, but emphaised equality at the expense liberty.

Answer 7

A democracy is where you have an apathetic citizenship that votes for whomever is the most immoral person in office.

Answer 8

Freedom to come and go as you please.

Freedom to say what you like, where you like, without the secret police taking you away in a van.

Freedom to buy what you want to buy.

Freedom to choose who you are going to marry.

Freedom to support whichever football team you want to support.

Have you noticed how every line starts with the same word?

Democracy is Freedom

Answer 9

Instead of being on the Internet wasting time, open the books.

Answer 10

Freedom of speech, freedom in general (movement etc.)

Representation (No taxation without representation)

Um... I don't really know apart from that... sorry