Is Direct Democracy Fit For Modern United States Of America?

The greatest differences between a republic and pure democracy are the delegation of elected officials, and a republic allows for the government to govern a much larger area. In a republic, elected officials, noted for their wisdom, must be capable of making decisions for the public good despite any of their personal interests. The system allows the public’s voice to be represented by representatives that are more inclined to political action of the good of the whole society. However, such a system relies heavily on the election of beneficial

Ancient Greece is associated as the birthplace of democracy but it is fair to say that Greece was home to various forms of governments. Government is Greece took extraordinary diverse forms across different city-States for centuries, political power could rest in the hand of one single individual which will be referred to as Monarchies or Tyranny, rule by small group of people referred to oligarchy or aristocracy. Rule by all the male citizens referred to as democracy, which is regarded as Greeks greatest contribution to modern day civilization (Democracy). (Brand, P.J. (n.d)).

Representative democracy is defined by Wilson, Dilulio, Bose, and Levendusky as a government in which leaders make decisions by winning a competitive struggle for the popular vote. This form of government has less control of the people, allowing them to have the freedom to join clubs, organizations, political parties, and other groups of their choice. An example of representative democracy is the United States of America. Our government is elected by citizens voting for government officials. Voting is an important part of being a United States citizen because it allows for the people to input their ideas into the government.

Direct democracy via the internet does provide all Americans an easy method of voting and could potentially increase voter numbers. However, I do believe that the federal government should hold most of the power. Complex issues, such as international relations, military, and warfare, should be handled by the government. I do not trust the masses in such complex issues. But I do believe that for a direct democracy to be successful, there must be a set of guidelines in which the American public can vote of certain issues and also for the public to be well-informed in such matters.

Since America is immense and extends from the Pacific to the Atlantic Oceans, it is very convenient to be able to make a connection with everyone without having to traverse the entire country. Television creates a “feeling of direct contact” between presidential candidates and the populace (Source A). By involving more of the population, the elections are made more democratic. However, with more involvement of the people, comes the simplification of the language and topics used during the elections.

Moreover, the scheme of representation and the various mechanisms for selecting representatives established by the Constitution were clearly intended to produce a republic, not a democracy (This Nation). In conclusion the United States is not a democracy. It is not a democracy because of how our government is set up with rule by law. The United States are mostly a republic more than a democracy for many reasons.

Direct democracy, where citizens directly participate with the government, required citizens to attend assembly, sit on juries, and make law. This ensured that each citizen participated in government. The Greek also determined that “tyranny is illegitimate,” which ensured that a tyrant can not take complete control nor lack concern for the welfare of citizens. Greek origins also ensured that each person had rights.

After the American War of Independence, America and its citizens declared their independence from Great Britain. The America that emerged from the war was a nation based on shared national values as well as ideas and principles protected by national documents. Defeating the British meant that every American citizen would have a chance for political independence. Under this new-found freedom, America would create a system of government (American Democracy) that would put the political power in the hands of its citizen. Even though American Democracy claimed to be a system of government that would give political power to all its citizens, in the late 18th century and into the early 19th century, most blacks living in America were not recognized by law as citizens.

Athenian democracy is arguably one of the greatest examples of democracy in history because it established egalitarian principles like rule of law and direct political participation. Athenian statesman, Solon, achieved much of the progress for rule of law. He emphasized, “[...] the doctrine that a state must be subject to a body of just law that commands respect, is applied equally to all and is superior to those who administer it” (Mitchell, 438). A comprehensive code of written laws with clearly defined authority was necessary to ensure that no one would be above the law. By asserting the rule of law, democracy was strengthened and absolute power was rejected.

Athenian democracy was the first form of governance where the dēmos (people) had the ability to develop legislations. It has inspired the democracy we have nowadays in most countries. Some people such as Pericles may argue that not participating in politics is considered useless, due to Athenian democracy being reliant on the votes of the male citizens. Philosophers such as Plato and Socrates, however, would criticize democracy as a form of governance. This essay will conclude that those who don’t participate in democracy are useless, but they are not doing something vicious, because they might not want to participate in a corrupt regime.

Introduction Classical Greek democracy, which was founded in Athens in the fifth century BCE, has had an unquestionably profound impact on our modern society. Its illustrious legacy may still be seen in the present democratic ideas and institutions that have shaped American democracy. In fact, “the ideas and practices that led to the development of the American democratic republic after 1776 owe a debt to the ancient civilization of Greece” (Tanakidis, 2021). For instance, a representative government was one of the innovative aspects of classical Greek democracy.

The United States has been involved in many monumental events over the past centuries, however, its role in the world has changed dramatically throughout time. Since the birth of the United States, the US has stood for democracy and freedom as it still does today. Freedom to me means the ability to try new things and make mistakes. In the beginning, the US made a mistake by introducing slavery. According to World Net Daily, “slavery led to the catastrophic Civil War which separated the North and the South.

1 INTRODUCTION Power and authority are the most important aspects of politics as such way of thinking comes a long way from the earliest thinkers such as Plato and Aristotle to mention few. They are the fundamental features of state in politics, focusing on who should have the power and authority over the people and who should rule them. During the time prior and after the birth of states, political authority has always been a major concern with regards to who should rule and how and who shouldn’t. Therefore this issues need to be addressed in a way that will at the end benefit the society. Plato is the thinker or theorist who came with addressing who should rule in a political environment in what Plato outlined that only Philosophers should rule.

Democracy is a political system which, at its core, enshrines the public sovereignty through the representative mechanism. In democracy, political representation by popular vote is a source of the political legitimacy on which the government practice the state power. As always, we have learnt about “power tends to corrupt, absolute power corrupts absolutely” , say Lord Acton , we , in democracies , need to set up control mechanism over usage of power . On the other hand, the government can do nothing for the people without having considerable powers such as taxation, law makings, law enforcement and probing social and political issues and the likes . In concept of Democracy, the power must be limited and put under “check and balance” mechanism.

In 2007, CNN stated a word “Youtube-ification of politics” prepared for the U.S. Presidential Primaries (Youtube and Policits). However, the impact of social media on politics can be either positive or negative. Social media can have a positive impact on politics when it is used properly. As people mentioned that social media is a free platform for sharing information, a tool of freedom and empowerment and a door of equality.