INTA 101 Week 3-4 - Democracy History PDF

Week 4 - Democracy INTA 101 – Political and Social Thought  History of Democracy Ancient Greece – 5th century BCE ’a method for making collective decisions where each person’s voice has (in principle) equal weight’ (Graham & Hoffman 2022, p. 26). democracy is a system in which the...

Week 4 - Democracy INTA 101 – Political and Social Thought  History of Democracy Ancient Greece – 5th century BCE ’a method for making collective decisions where each person’s voice has (in principle) equal weight’ (Graham & Hoffman 2022, p. 26). democracy is a system in which there is ‘one person, one vote’. dêmos 'people' and krátos 'force/might’ [people’s power] - Greek Athens – birthplace of democracy Athenian statesman Cleisthenes – founding father. He introduced a series of political reforms in 508 BCE that established a system of government where citizens (non- slave men over 18) had the right to participate in the decision-making process. Athenian democracy was ‘direct’ in nature, meaning that citizens themselves gathered to debate and vote on various issues, including laws and policies. Greek Ekklēsia  History of Democracy Roman Republic (509-27 BCE): While not a democracy in the modern sense, the Roman Republic introduced the idea of representative government. In this system, citizens elected officials to represent their interests in the Roman Senate and other governmental bodies. Medieval Europe: After the decline of the Roman Republic, democracy largely disappeared from European political systems during the Middle Ages. Feudalism and monarchies dominated the political landscape. The Renaissance period: saw a resurgence of interest in classical Greek and Roman political thought, which contributed to the revival of democratic ideas. The Enlightenment era (17th-18th centuries) had a profound impact on the development of modern democracy. Thinkers like John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Montesquieu laid the intellectual foundations for democratic principles, individual rights, and the separation of powers. The American Revolution (1775-1783) and the subsequent establishment of the United States as a democratic republic with a written constitution became a The Statue of Liberty  History of Democracy French Revolution (1789-1799) Introduced the idea of universal suffrage, where all adult citizens (at least in theory) had the right to vote. However, this period was marked by political upheaval and radical changes in governance. The concept of universal suffrage and democratic principles began to spread to other parts of Europe in the 19th century, leading to various forms of constitutional monarchies and parliamentary democracies. 20th Century Democracy Global expansion of democracy, with many countries adopting democratic systems of governance. Key events included the suffrage movements, the end of colonialism, and the fall of authoritarian regimes in many parts of the world. The two World Wars and the Cold War influenced the spread and consolidation of democracy, as democratic nations emerged as global powers. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by Fighting at the Hotel de Ville French the United Nations in 1948, reinforced democratic Revolution values and individual rights on an international scale. Only 8% of the world’s population actually lives in a full, functioning democracy, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). Meanwhile, another 37% of people live in some type of “flawed democracy”, while 55% of the world does not live in democracy at all, based on the EIU’s latest Democracy Index Report. Events such as the war in Ukraine and restrictive, long-lasting COVID-19 measures, have caused numerous declines to country democracy scores in recent years. Since the source report first began tracking scores in 2006, the global average has fallen from 5.52 to 5.29. Source: Democracy Index 2022  Islam and Democracy Early Islamic Governance After the death of the Prophet Muhammad in the 7th century, the early Islamic community, or the Ummah, initially practiced a form of governance known as the Rashidun Caliphate (632-661). This period saw a relatively democratic approach to leadership, with caliphs chosen through consultation and consensus. Shura (Consultation) Often cited as a democratic element in Islamic governance. Some argue that shura can be seen as a precursor to modern notions of participatory decision-making and democratic governance. Islamic Caliphates Subsequent dynasties such as the Umayyads and Abbasids centralized power, reducing the democratic elements in governance. Contemporary Islamic States Some Muslim-majority countries have established The Imperial Council of the Ottoman democratic systems that incorporate principles of universal Empire ‫ديوان همايون‬ Direct – Indirect democracy In a direct democracy, all those subject to laws are creators of those laws, whereas with indirect democracy, we vote for representatives. A referendum – for example, the Brexit one. While all those on the electoral register vote directly on the proposition, the framing of the question is determined by elected representatives. In indirect democracies, decisions are made through representatives. A famous debate in the British parliamentary tradition is between those who argue members of parliament are not delegates, mandated to follow the will of their electors, but representatives  Brexit – An example of direct democracy Brexit (Britain + Exit) is a term used to refer to the United Kingdom's (UK) decision to leave the European Union (EU) following a historic referendum held on June 23, 2016. The referendum resulted in a narrow victory for the "Leave" campaign, with 51.9% of the votes in favor of leaving the EU and 48.1% in favor of remaining. The decision to hold a referendum on EU membership was announced by then-Prime Minister David Cameron in 2013 asking a simple question: "Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?" After the referendum, the UK officially triggered Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union in March 2017. This article outlines the process for a member state to withdraw from the EU, setting a two-year timeline for negotiations. Brexit was a contentious issue in UK politics, leading to the resignation of Prime Minister David Cameron and the ascension of Theresa May as Prime Minister. May https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2023/09/19/eu-associate-membership-uk-joining-what-brussels/ The Facebook – Cambridge Analytica data scandal The Facebook–Cambridge Analytica data scandal was a major controversy in 2018 involving the unauthorized collection of Facebook user data by the British political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica for the purpose of influencing political campaigns, raising significant privacy and ethical concerns regarding the use of personal data in the digital age. Cambridge Analytica worked in 68 countries including USA, UK, Australia, India, Italy, South Africa, Thailand, Kenya, Malta, Mexico, among others.  Majority Rule Allows for collective decision-making and reflects the will of the majority of participants. Voting: In majority rule, a decision is typically made through a voting process. Threshold: To reach a decision, a specific threshold or criterion is set, typically requiring that one option receives more votes than any other option. This threshold is often defined as a simple majority, meaning that more than half of the total votes must be in favor of one option. Winning Option: The option that receives more than half of the votes is declared the "winning" option. Implementation: Once the winning option is determined, it is implemented as the decision or policy that the group or society will follow. Respect for Minority Rights: The rights and interests of individuals or groups in the minority are still respected and protected, even if they did not prevail in the majority vote. Supermajority: Demands a higher percentage of votes  There is a tension between rights and democracy. Consider these options: 1. One person – a dictator – can remove your rights. 2. A minority can remove your rights. (The minority can range from two people to any number just below half of voters). 3. A simple majority (50 + 1) can remove your rights. 4. Your rights can only be removed by a unanimous vote. 5. One person – you – can remove your rights. 6. Nobody – including you – can remove your rights. This is what is meant by inalienable rights: you cannot give away – ‘make alien’ – your rights. It might be tempting to endorse option 4. But that would make social change difficult: we might all be worse off if it is impossible to make any collective decisions. If the gains and losses from a rule are about equal, it's fair to have a simple majority (more than half) agree. But if the losses are much worse than the gains, you might want more than a simple majority to agree. John Rawls's "veil of ignorance" (A Theory of Justice, 1971) The Veil of Ignorance is a device for helping people more fairly envision a fair society by pretending that the y are ignorant of their personal circu mstances (Ethics Unwrapped). Two primary principles supplement Rawls’ veil of ignorance: the liberty principle and the difference principle. According to the liberty principle, the social contract should try to ensure that everyone enjoys the maximum liberty possible without intruding upon the freedom of others. According to the difference principle, the social contract should guarantee that everyone has an equal opportunity to prosper. If there are any social or economic differences in the social contract, they should help those who are the worst off. Any advantages in the contract Median voter theorem (Duncan Black, 1948 and Anthony Downs, 1984) The "median voter theorem" is the idea that in a two-candidate political race, candidates will converge toward the position of the median voter (the voter at the ideological center of the electorate) in order to maximize their chances of winning the election. Voters are assumed to be rational and vote for the party or candidate whose platform is closest to their own policy preferences. The political spectrum is represented as a continuum, ranging from "left" to "right" or from "liberal" to "conservative," depending on the context. To maximize their chances of winning, both political parties will position themselves as close as possible to the policy preferences of the median voter. This leads to a form of political equilibrium where both parties adopt similar policy positions, making it difficult for a new party to enter the competition with significantly different policies. While the median voter theorem provides valuable insights, it simplifies real-world political dynamics and does not account for various complexities, such as voter turnout, party ideology, and campaign strategies. One of the assumptions of the median voter model is the absence of interest groups and campaign finance which is often not the case in real life elections.  Checks and Balances Designed to prevent the concentration of power and ensure that no single branch or entity becomes too powerful or abuses its authority. Separation of Powers among the different branches of government: the legislative, the executive and the judicial. Distinct Functions - Legislative Branch: a parliament or congress, is responsible for making and passing laws. - Executive Branch: headed by the president or a similar leader, is responsible for implementing and enforcing laws. - Judicial Branch: includes the courts and judges, interprets and applies the laws. Each branch of government has specific powers and functions, but it also has the ability to "check" or limit the actions of the other branches to prevent abuses of power. For example, the legislative branch can check the executive branch by approving or rejecting presidential appointments, impeaching the president, or overriding a presidential veto. The executive branch can check the legislative branch by vetoing bills, proposing legislation, and implementing policies. - The judicial branch can check both the executive and legislative branches by reviewing the constitutionality of laws and executive actions through judicial review.  Discussion Questions What is democracy, and how does it differ from other forms of government? What are the key principles and values that underlie democratic systems? What are the challenges and limitations of democracy? Are there situations where democratic principles may conflict with other important societal values or goals? How has technology and the digital age impacted democracy? What are the benefits and drawbacks of online participation and digital voting systems?