Semester-II Module III Forms of Government

I  DEMOCRACY AND ITS TYPES

INTRODUCTION

The term Democracy is taken from the Greek words, Demos meaning people, and Kratos (cracy) meaning rule. In simple words it is a form of government based on ultimate authority of people. However sometimes the term also signifies a way of life based on certain values like equality, justice, fairness etc. The roots of present form of democracy are found in Ancient Greek city states that practiced direct democracy/ classical form of democracy. Later in the modern period some features of democracy were practiced in Great Britain and was called representative democracy and became popular throughout Europe and America.  Under the influence of British rule India also adopted representative democracy after independence and is known as the largest democracy in the world.

The important features of democracy are as follows:

1. Political Equality- In practice it means political participation. In other words participation of all adult citizens in political activities.
2. Participation- In modern day democracy it means equal voting rights for all without discrimination. However other forms of participation like referendums, plebiscites etc are used to ensure participation.
3. A System of regular elections to important public offices and positions.
4. Competitive, free and fair elections between different political groups or parties.
5. Government is accountable to the representatives of people and hence ultimately to the people.
6. A system of Rule of Law, citizens rights, independent judiciary and respect for public opinion etc

Models of Democracy

While the above characteristics are common to a democracy, different forms of give weightage to different features. Hence it can be classified into the following forms:

I   Classical Democracy:

1. Practiced in the City-State of Ancient Greece mainly Athens, during fourth and                                                          

    fifth centuries B.C.

2. Also known as Direct Democracy as it was based purely on ideal of direct participation 

    of people in governmental affairs. All major decisions of the city-state were taken in 

    public meetings or ‘Assembly’, a body of all citizens.

3. Another unique feature of Ancient democracy was that every citizen could take the 

    decisions for the entire city-state atleast once in his lifetime.

4. Its importance lies in the fact that citizens not only participated but also took     

   responsibility of public office and their decisions.

5. But a major drawback of Greek Democracy was it excluded a huge mass of  

     people like slaves, foreigners and women from benefits of citizenship.

However Classical democracy is respected even today for its ideal of direct rule and continuous participation people in decision-making through discussions and debates. It has inspired that present day theory and practice of democracy.

Liberal Democracy

1 Democratic ideas were revived in eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, although in a                       

   very different form.

2 Early liberal thinkers like John Locke advocated democracy to protect individual  

   Liberty. In other words to protect individual freedom from government encroachment.

   Locke argued that individual had natural rights and government should be based on   

   consent to protect individual liberty.

3 Later thinkers like Jeremy Bentham and James Mill argued in favour of voting rights  

   for all adults without any discrimination.

4 Thus citizens rights, political equality, representative government and regular elections

    became important features of liberal form of democracy.

5        It gives widest possible scope to individual liberty and ensures governmental accountability through representative body i.e. legislature.

On the economic side liberal democracy was able to support capitalism and free enterprise since the 18^th century and hence was criticized for favouring majority and neglecting social and economic rights of the poor. Hence thinkers like Rousseau and others advocated ‘participatory democracy’/

Participatory Democracy

1        18^th century French Thinker and philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau was a strong 

       critic of Liberal Democracy. For him democracy was ultimately a means through  

       which humans could achieve freedom or autonomy.

2        Citizens are  free only when they participate directly and continuously in  political  

       decision-making.

3        If government is based on will of citizens then only it could ensure their well-

being. Such a system required not only political equality but economic equality as well.

4        Another thinker John Stuart Mill  emphasized the importance of democracy to 

      educate people in decision making and self rule. That power should be

      decentralized and all should have equal voting rights.

However it can be seen that participatory democracy only suggests a few changes in representative democracy. Hence instead of providing an alternative to liberal democracy it suggests only few improvements to it.

Semester-II Module III Forms of Government

II Non-democratic Forms of Government

Most of human history and particularly 20^th century has seen non-democratic authoritarian governments. These governments are based on Authoritarianism, which can be understood as a belief in, or practice of, government ‘from above’(as opposed to ‘rule from below’) , in which authority is exercised regardless of popular consent. Authoritarian governments emphasise the claims of authority over those of individual liberty. In practice authoritarian governments are associated with traditional monarchy, dictatorships and military rule. These are based on personal loyalty to rulers and use of force against opposition and denial of political liberty.

1 The Traditional Authoritarian Rule:

   existed in Ancient Rome, Imperial China and others in variety of forms. The rulers authority was based on tradition or religion. Rule by one rather than by law, a central feature of such governments. The leader was like a ‘sun around which other planets revolve’. However, it provided a stable political rule as the King’s power was limited by his dependence on local leaders to maintain control. It suffered form family quarrels, factions and conspiracies. In other words it involved too much of politics and less of government.

2 20^th Century Authoritarian rule:

   Modern rulers exploited the benefits of Industrial Revolution, Vast Communication Networks and political resources of a large state to gather people for large scale war. E.g Hilter in Germany and Mussolini in Italy. They aimed at total control over people’s lives and the society in order to transform them. Emphasised total submission of people to the dictator and his ambitions.

3 Military Goverments: 

A 20^th phenomenon, it was a government based in the army  and using the army as its main source of power. Spread in 1960’s and 80’s in developing countries of South America, Africa and parts of Asia. It spread due to cold war politics between United States of America and Russian Republic.

4 Authoritarian Rule Today: Made of variety of rules like the Afghan Talibaan, Chinese Communist, Pakistani Generals, Saudi Princes, Saddam Hussien in Iraq and similar others in the Gulf region and others.