Essay on "Is Democracy the Most Viable Form of Government?"

Essay 3 pages (1106 words) Sources: 1+

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Democracy the Most Viable Form of Government?

There are numerous forms of government, especially when we consider our global population. There are dictatorships, socialists, communists, and then, those who follow the political bearing of democracy. The prosperity and of some governments are begging the question of whether or not democracy is the most viable form of government in today's world. In this analysis, the first section will argue that democracy is in fact the most viable form of government, attempting to reveal the key indicators that support this theory. It will then discuss the opposing view. In summary, the goal is to leave the reader processing, and pondering upon both perspectives. As democracy can vary within different contexts, for the purpose of this paper, we will take democracy as meaning, a government where constitutional rights guarantee basic personal and political freedoms, including free elections and a fair judicial system.

In order to establish consensus, democracy proves to be a viable form of government as the majority rule. "Democratic institutions, however, may be necessary…to produce a political consensus as well as an adequate policy performance at all times and under varying (social and economic) conditions," (Keman, 6). This form of government was not always accepted as a practicable source of rule. It wasn't until the past couple centuries was it evident that this form of government became sustainable, even though the structure has been around for quite some time in different contexts. The understanding of democracy as a representative system, instead of direct rule, helped it in becoming a valuable and acceptable approach. In democratic societies, people can have the right, the will, and the desire to be active members of the nation or organization. The freedom of choice, the power of representation, and the access to courts and justice are essential principles that make democracy the most viable form of government. There are few other forms of government or organizational structure that allow such access to these values. "In a democracy, people have the right to choose their leaders in regular, free, and fair elections," (Diamond 21). They are encouraged to represent themselves by voting, campaigning for, and supporting congressman, representatives, presidents and other leaders by a system of equal representative choice. Elected leaders by the citizens of a society, then are able to make decisions based on the will of the people. Democracy also ensures some inevitable freedoms that other forms of government do not emphasize. Citizens within a democratic state have the freedom of belief, opinion, speech, religious affiliations, legal representation, and the right to vote, to name a few. There is also a system of checks and balances within the legislative branches, thus disallowing select individuals from becoming overpowered. In both modern and classical democracy, this form of government allowed representation that was created to limit the abuse of power by governments. Because of this considerations raised here, democracy continues to be a viable form of government.

On the other side of the fence, there are several considerations to take into account to why we should rebuff democracy as a viable form of government. If there is a higher will from the government than that of the desire of the people, then democracy fails to serve as a representative form of government. As a government by the people… READ MORE

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