The term democracy has taken on many different meanings throughout history.
Today, the term is so broad that even countries with seemingly undemocratic political structures
still call themselves democracies.
So then, what is a democracy?
Well, simply put, a democracy is a system of governance where everyone IN the group
gets an equal say in what happens TO the group.
That’s why the roots of this word are “demos” - Greek for “people”, and “kratia”
- Greek for “power”.
The people hold the power.
The ancient Greeks from around the 5th century BC are generally credited with officially
establishing this as a political philosophy, but it may have emerged even earlier.
The concept of democracy is simple, fair, and pretty much common-sense.
Except when it’s not.
Take for instance, the People’s Democratic Republic of Korea, AKA North Korea.
Or the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Despite their names, they are among the least democratic nations worldwide, according to
the Economist Intelligence Unit.
Both of these countries have long standing authoritarian rulers, not elected by popular
vote.
Even the United States, a famous beacon of democracy, does NOT reportedly give all people
equal power in the government.
A recent Cambridge Journal report found that the “economic elite” call most of the
shots, and that the popular majority does NOT rule.
Political commentator, Noam Chomsky, also says that that the “lower 70%” have “no
influence on policy whatsoever”, and that America is not a democracy, but a “plutocracy”,
AKA a government by the wealthy.
The word “democracy” doesn’t really have a definite meaning anymore.
Because the spectrum of governments to which the term is applied is SO broad.
And essentially no major government actually fits the bill of a true democracy.
Instead, many nations have “democratic aspects” to their government.
Scandinavian nations, like Norway, Sweden and Iceland, are usually considered the most
democratic in the sense of government accountability to the people.
In general, democracy is important to every nation’s political system.
When people have a voice in the government, they have more trust in it.
This can reduce social unrest and civil wars.
The EIU reports that progress towards democracy worldwide continues with globalization, increasing
education rates, and the growing middle class.
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We’re going to be looking into other forms of government soon, and want your input!
Chime in with your suggestions in the comments below, and if you want to check out our new
channel Seeker, check out this video about how the board game monopoly was originally
created as propaganda.
Thanks so much for watching!
We’ll see you in the comments.