Is Democracy a Universal Concept?

1655 Words7 Pages
Is Democracy A Universal Concept? Democracy is considered to be the most difficult and formidable construction (form of governance) of governance. Democracy "is government by the people in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system." In the phrase of Abraham Lincoln, democracy is a government "of the people, by the people, and for the people." (Ait.org.tw, 2015) It is an ideology, which has spread worldwide, believing in freedom, a decent standard of living for everyone, and people having a voice within their country. Democracy has served all these beliefs, especially giving rights and protection to their citizens, and more. However controversial it may seem, democracy has proven to work in several cases. Yet, there is an exception as to how many countries practice democracy; yet have not truly embedded it into it, an example being Pakistan. Some countries successfully made a transition to democracy, others collapsed and many more fell – and remain – in the category of problematic democracies. (Grugel, 2013) Then, there are others who seek to use “democracy” as a reason to begin wars, in order to fight oppression, or because of corruption and personal greed. The 20th century proved to be remarkably beneficial for democracy. The World War One ensured the toppling of many monarchies, including Germany, Russia, and Austria. These countries then either looked towards becoming a republic state, or a democratic one, or a communist one. All the other countries that were broken down into pieces, distributed, divided, or made independent, chose their own form of government. Many countries chose democracy, judging by the success of the United States of America and the fact that democracy comes with a Global Capitalist Economy. An example being Switzerland, which adapted the
Open Document