The Main Features Of Democracy

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Words: 1,377 Outline and critically assess the main features of democracy. Thanks to the main features of democracy, I am able to critically assess it now without any threat of punishment which I am really glad for. One of the essential democratic beliefs is the personal freedom, as the right to think freely and act without governmental control, the freedom of speech which allows me to express myself critically about democracy. It is said that majority of the people who dispose democratic rights take them for granted, however they should appreciate them as even in the present world expressing personal opinion is not always possible and I find the awareness of the people’s rights very important. As British novelist E. M. Forster in a 1951 essay claimed “Two cheers for democracy: one because it admits variety and two because it permits criticism.” In the present world, in the modern times it seems that democracy has triumphed. Nowadays, most of the countries claim that their beliefs are democratic. But for most of the human history, it has been an exception mostly, not a norm. The idea was used in the ancient Greece for the first time in the 5th century already and it basically means “rule by the people”. The Greeks combined the words demos (people) and krates (rule) which meant in practice that the state belonged to the people, they were those who had the power and those who were sovereign. The people appointed someone who would represent them, in the modern times it is the government which represents the will, wishes or at least the consent of the people. However, it had been a long run in the history to include all adult citizens to participate in the political life and to approach a bit the inspirable idea of democracy. The ideal rule by the people is not so easy to carry out in practice. Direct democracy could only work for a small state with a few

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