What is the definition of democracy, anyway? It is the system where everyone has the same equal political rights in choosing a leader. Although it is the people’s government, they need to choose their representative that will sit in government organizations. It may look simple but the actual implementation is more complex and difficult than what it seems. Not to mention that there are different types of democracy with their own systems and regulations.
Definition of Democracy and How It Is Different from the Others
There are different kinds of government regulations in this world. The main characteristics of democracy are the legal equality, political freedom, and also regulation of law. Everyone has the same rights in the legal system as well as the legislative process. However, it would be difficult for everyone to run the country together so they have to choose a leader that would handle the nation’s administration and operation. The different types of democracy would determine how the government runs.
According to Abraham Lincoln, the definition of democracy is basically about the people. It is from the people and the results will be for them. Democracy is different from dictatorship where the country is ruled by one person with absolute power. Whoever the person, he/she holds the ultimate power to run the country. Democracy is different oligarchy, which is referring to the condition where a country is ruled by a dominant small group or class of people. In monarchy, the government is ruled by one person from the royal family.
READ: Definition of Federal: Governance and the Systems
If you want to learn about democracy examples, you can take a look at the government of The United States. Their concept of government system is the democracy but they also use constitutional concept in their ruling. They have the so-called Constitutional Federal Republic which means that each single state has their own autonomous power. Each state has their own responsibilities, authority, and limitation, but they also retain their federal relationship with the state government.
When it comes to understanding the definition of democracy in America, we are talking about the absolute power and freedom on the federal and also state level. Both of them are using voting process to choose their representative in each level. When you compare the democracy examples between America and other nations, you will see that there are significant differences.
Direct democracy is one of the types of democracy where people can take part in the ruling process of everything, from the creation of law to the abolishment of regulation. In this modern world, this kind of democracy is hard to make. It is considered as the true and pure democracy but it requires people to have direct monitor and control over the government, and it can be impossible to do.
READ: Definition of Government and Its System
One of the most common operations we have today is the representative democracy. The parliamentary democracy is the system where people choose their representative that will be the ruling body, or the parliament. And then this ruling body will choose the prime minister as the main leader. You can take a look at The United Kingdom for the democracy examples of the parliament type. Understanding the definition of democracy is quite complex so you will need to work extra hard for it.
- Food Chain Definition: Types and Examples - January 22, 2023
- 11 Amphibians Examples: Definition and Characteristic - November 6, 2022
- Define Acid Rain and Its Effects on The Environment - September 8, 2022
