Constitution and Democracy
Democracy
 What is Democracy?
Government by the people:
 Leaders selected by competitive elections
with universal suffrage
 Government limited by rule of law
 Political rights protected
 Speech, Assembly, Association, Religion
Democracy:
Direct vs Republican (representative)
Direct Democracy
 A form of democratic government
where citizens vote directly on major
issues and directly determine public
policy - Examples: ancient Greek democracy,
New England town meetings, and
California propositions
Democracy:
Direct vs Republican (representative)
Representative Democracy or
A Republic
 A form of democratic government
where citizens elect representatives
and delegate their authority to make
decisions on public policy to those
representatives
 Examples: the US Government with
Congress and the President, etc.
Conditions for Democracy
What social conditions enable
democracy?
 Education levels?
A. US fully literate
B. Bangledesh very limited literacy
C. Doesn’t matter
Conditions for Democracy
What social conditions enable
democracy?
 Wealth Levels?
 Diversity: race, religion, language?
Conditions for Democracy
What social conditions enable
democracy?
 Wealth Levels?
A. Rich
B. Poor
C. Doesn’t matter
Conditions for Democracy
What social conditions enable
democracy?
 Capitalism vs Socialism?
 Capitalism: Private Property with
Market Incentives
 Supply and Demand drive production/price
 Socialism: Collective Property with
Government Planning
 Government Command drives
production/price
Democracy &
Economic Systems
Thesis:
 Democracy needs capitalism to survive
 Capitalism may exist without democracy
Capitalism is a necessary,
but not sufficient
condition for democracy
Scotia California:
a company town
 Pacific Lumber Company
PALCO
SCOTIA:
CODE OF CONDUCT
Forbidden behaviors:
 Skateboarding, bicycling, obstructing traffic, etc
 Sitting on floors, stairs, handrails, planters or trash
receptacles
 Physically or verbally threatening anyone….
 Engaging in non-commercial expressive
activity without the proper written
permission of the management of Scotia
 …
Does Economics Matter?
Imagine we live in…
Scotia
Does Economics Matter?
Now imagine we live in Porterville,
Tulare County…
Capitalism and Democracy
The Private Property of capitalism
enables democracy:
 Divides power
 Separates economic and political
power
 Requires citizen initiative in
community – people have to do some
things for themselves
Capitalism and Democracy
Democracy Requires:
 Ability to dissent: not just for heroes
and martyrs
 Capitalism separates political and
economic power, providing the
possibility of meaningful dissent
Capitalism and
Democracy
An Uneasy Marriage:
 Capitalism threatens democracy:
 Concentrates economic power
 Economic power buys political power
 Unequal economic power leads to unequal
unequal access to political power
 Democracy assumes, even needs, equality
Capitalism and
Democracy
An Uneasy Marriage:
 Democracy threatens capitalism
 Majority may vote away property rights to
achieve ‘equality’
 Majority may vote to
kill the goose that laid
the golden egg of
democracy
Capitalism and
Democracy
 Capitalism leaves Social Space where
citizens fend for themselves
 Citizens form voluntary associations
to deal with problems that the
government does not deal with
 Examples:
 Soccer Leagues, PTAs, Churches,
Labor Unions, Trade Associations,
Service Clubs, etc.
Capitalism and Democracy
Alexis de Toqueville
Visited America 1831
Democracy in America
Published book in 2 volumes
1835 and 1840
Democracy in America: Thesis
Success of American Democracy:
 Fundamental Culture of Equality
 Common culture of virtue: “America is
great because America is good. Should she
cease to be good, she would cease to be
great.”
 Spirit of Volunteerism
Civil Society:
Spirit of Volunteerism
Civil Society:
 Volunteer organizations or associations that
citizens join to achieve goals independent
of government.
 Examples:
PTA, Rotary Club, Job’s
Daughters, Soccer League,
Little League, Boy Scouts, Girl
Scouts, Churches,
Neighborhood Watch, ETC…
Capitalism and Democracy
Capitalism creates need for Civil
Society
Healthy, robust Civil Society is
absolutely necessary for democracy
Economic systems without private
property do not enable or create Civil
Society
Continued:
Probably not in class from here on:
Historical issues
 Constitutional Background
 Continental Congress
 Articles of Confederation
 Weaknesses
 Shay’s rebellion, etc.
 Constitutional Convention
Constitutional Framing
Compromises and ratification
 Connecticut Compromise (Great
Compromise)
 Three-fifths Compromise
 Slaves counted at 3/5 for census
 Electoral College
 Federalists / Anti-Federalists
The Constitution:
Core structures





Federalism
Separation of Powers
Executive
Legislative
Judicial
Constitution:
Processes for maintenance and
adaptation




Judicial Review
Balance (Checks and Balances)
Amendments
Constitutional Interpretation
(“Adaptability”)