2.1 Notes: Principles of Democracy
Unit 2: Understanding American Democracy
Theme 1: Philosophy and History: Roots of American Democracy
I. Recitation of Government Types
II. Describe America Experiment
III. Basic Definition of Democracy
A.
democracy –
IV. Two Types of Democracy
A.
direct or pure democracy –
1.
2.
Advantages:
a)
most efficient in terms of accurately reflecting the will of the people
b)
encourages participation in government and knowledge of the issues
because the people are more directly responsible for the decisions of the
government
Disadvantages:
a)
least efficient in terms of time, effort, and money involved in bringing
all the people together to vote on such a large quantity of issues
(1)
3.
Why might this no longer be a valid argument?
b)
least efficient in terms of the right decisions being made due to the
ignorance of the voters
c)
discourages participation in government due to the quantity and
complexity of government decisions
d)
more susceptible to mob rule
Examples:
a)
Ancient Athens and the old New England town meetings are often cited
as the best examples of direct democracy.
b)
No country in the world today is completely a direct democracy at the
national level.
c)
Direct democracy is practiced at the local and state level in the United
States, with most states (particularly the western states) utilizing one or
more of the following procedures, according to their state constitutions:
1
B.
(1)
initiative – process by which the people can attain a
predetermined number of signatures to have a measure placed on
the ballot to be voted on directly by the people
(2)
referendum – process by which the people can attain a
predetermined number of signatures to have a measure placed on
the ballot to be voted on directly by the people to repeal an
already existing act of the legislature
(3)
referral or legislative referendum – process by which the
legislature places a proposed act on the ballot to be voted on
directly by the people
(4)
recall – process by which the people can attain a predetermined
number of signatures to place a measure on the ballot to be voted
on directly by the people to remove and replace an elected
official
indirect or representative democracy –
1.
2.
Advantages:
a)
most efficient in terms of time, effort, and money involved in only
bringing the people together during set intervals to vote for the
representatives only
b)
most efficient in terms of the right decisions being made due to the
professional expertise of the full-time representatives
c)
less susceptible to mob rule
Disadvantages:
a)
least efficient in terms of accurately reflecting the will of the people
b)
discourages participation in government and knowledge of the issues
because people are less directly responsible for the decisions of the
government
c)
more susceptible to corruption due to the limited number of
representatives
V. Advanced Definition of Democracy
A.
In order to more thoroughly understand the meaning of democracy, it is helpful to
look at two theories about what actually constitutes a democratic government:
1.
procedural democratic theory – theory that democracy is determined by the
procedures a government uses to make decisions, regardless of what those
actual decisions end up being
a)
Characteristics of Democratic Procedures:
2
(1)
universal participation – every adult, or nearly every adult, is able
to vote
(2)
political equality – everyone’s vote counts equally
(a)
Abraham Lincoln concluded a vote by his cabinet by
stating:
“Seven noes, one aye—the ayes have it.”
(3)
(4)
b)
2.
majority or plurality rule – process for determining how decisions
will be made either by:
(a)
simple majority – a vote total greater than or equal to 50
percent required in order to reach a decision
(b)
plurality – a vote total that is less than a simple majority,
but still enough to reach a decision because it was the
highest vote total received (first place)
responsiveness (if representative democracy) – the government
does what the people want, and are held accountable through
elections if it does not
The problem with relying on procedural democratic theory alone is that
it is subject to mob rule or tyranny of the majority where minority rights
are not protected
substantive democratic theory – theory that democracy is determined by the
substance of the actual government decisions, regardless of the procedures
used to make those decisions
a)
b)
Characteristics of Democratic Substance:
(1)
civil liberties – basic freedoms the government cannot take away
(2)
civil rights – basic political and legal equality the government
must provide for everyone
These minority rights are typically safeguarded in a constitution, which
cannot easily be altered by the majority, which essentially means the
minority rules.
(1)
supermajority – a specified vote total greater than a simple
majority, such as two-thirds or three-fourths, required in order to
reach a decision
VI. Different Understandings of Democracy over Time
A.
Historical Understanding:
3
B.
1.
The historical understanding of democracy was based on the procedural
democratic theory and thus had a negative connation because it was associated
with mob rule.
2.
This is why the Founding Fathers spoke so negatively about democracy,
particularly direct democracy (see presentation for quotes):
Modern Understanding:
1.
The modern understanding of democracy is based on a combination of
procedural and substantive democratic theory and thus has very positive
connotation.
2.
This is why more than 20 percent of the world’s political parties contain some
variation of the term in their name.
3.
When we use the term democracy in this class, this is what we will mean.
VII. Republic
A.
Characteristics of a Republic:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
B.
constitution created by the people
representative government
limited government
emphasis on minority rights
rejection of monarchy or hereditary rule
A republic is the form of government that the Founding Fathers created.
1.
When asked after the Constitutional Convention what type of government had
been created, Benjamin Franklin replied:
“A republic, if you can keep it.”
2.
C.
D.
Every morning at school you pledge allegiance “to the republic.”
Is a republic a democracy?
1.
No, if you define democracy according to the historical understanding and the
way the Founding Fathers did.
2.
Yes, if you define democracy according to the modern understanding. In that
case, it is a type of democracy, more specifically it is a type of representative
democracy.
3.
Not all democracies are republics, but all republics are democracies. For
example, the United Kingdom is a democracy, more specifically it is a
representative democracy, but it is not a republic. Why not?
Also note that the name of the country does not mean that is what it actually is in
practice. For example, North Korea’s formal name is the Democratic People’s
Republic of Korea (DPRK).
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VIII. Small-case vs. Upper-case Letters
A.
The terms Democratic and Republican, when capitalized, refer to the names of
political parties. They are names only, and it does not necessarily mean the party
philosophy has anything to do with the definitions of the terms as we have learned
them.
IX. Characteristics of a Healthy Democracy
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
H.
I.
universal participation
political equality
voter participation
free and timely elections
constitutionally limited government
constitutionally protected minority rights
loyal opposition of the minority party
freedom of speech, press, assembly, petition
educated citizenry
X. Institutional Models of Democracy
A.
Finally, there are three models that describe how the institutions of democracy
(elections, political parties, etc.) are structured to allow the government to
determine what the people want and translate those wants into decisions:
1.
majoritarian model – the institutions of government are structured so that
decisions are made by the majority of the people
2.
pluralist model – the institutions of government are structured so that
decisions are made through the compromise of many competing interest groups
3.
elite model – the institutions of government are structured so that decisions
are made by a small minority of the economic elite
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