I’ve been hearing a lot of chatter about democracy lately, and I wonder if most people know what a democracy is. First, let’s clear one thing up with the terminology: democracy has multiple meanings.
There’s democracy as a social concept. In this context we’re talking about social and political equality. In America we have a slew of examples: everyone has the right to vote, speak freely, et cetera (note that you can lose these rights: felons for example, generally can not vote, but everyone starts out in life with the same set of rights).
Then there is democracy as a form of government. Let’s talk about this:
While there isn’t a specific definition that’s accepted universally, we can loosely define it in a way most people understand and agree upon. Democracies come in two main forms. There are pure democracies (or direct democracies) in which the people directly execute the tasks of government, and there are representative democracies, where the people elect other citizens to execute the tasks of government.
You might think that the political system in place in the United States is a representative democracy, and you would be very wrong. Although a lot of people would agree with you. Some people really, really wish that America was a democracy. Let’s take a closer look:
There are some very important implications attached to democracy. In a true democracy, the majority is omnipotent. Some would call this tyranny by majority. The important thing to note here is that if fifty percent of the people (plus one) decide something, then the other fifty percent (minus one) are bound to it. If you don’t see how this could be dangerous, well spend some time thinking about it and do some research.
Think about this:
- The majority can confiscate a person’s property.
- The majority can decide only certain people can vote.
- The majority can pass laws about who can speak freely.
- The majority can decide to get rid of elections all together, or impose negative consequences for voting for the opposition.
- The majority can take political prisoners.
These are just a few examples. I’m sure you can think of a hundred more. You may have noticed already, but a democracy relies on the majority having “good hearts” and restraining itself from tyrannizing the minority. This is a terrible idea. Some people are evil, it’s just part of life, and evil people tend to seek positions of power.
What would happen if the majority form a party, and then pass a law making it illegal to oppose that party? This is essentially what happened in the 1950s and 1960s in many African countries that were experimenting with democracy.
I remind you that a lot of dictatorships literally meet the definition of a democracy. Iraq under Saddam Hussein met the definition of a representative democracy. Elections were held and the people elected Saddam Hussein. Yes people were rightfully scared for their lives if they voted any other way. That’s exactly the point I’m trying to make about democracies.
Democracy as a form of government is often a terrible, horrible, institution. The idea behind democracy is that universal suffrage is essential for freedom. The problem is this is only part true. Universal suffrage is absolutely necessary for freedom, but that’s not all.
The founders of the United States created a form of government called a Constitutional Republic. It had never been tried before and clearly it changed the world. A constitutional republic shares some concepts in common with a representative democracy (universal suffrage for example), but it’s actually the opposite of democracy (as a form of government, we’re not talking about the social idea) in a lot of ways.
Democracy is based on an omnipotent majority. A constitutional republic strictly controls the majority. In the United States, the constitution provides a set of limits on the majority (the majority do elect the representatives in government). It is based on the axiom that each individual has certain rights which are inherent (given to each person by their Creator). The government (or anyone else) can not obstruct those rights.
So, next time you hear someone (politicians especially) throwing around the word “democracy” (especially when touting it as a great form of government), ask them what they mean exactly. You’ll be surprised what you hear. Stay sharp.
