The concept of democracy has long been discussed throughout the world. Almost all countries try to comply with its principles. In this article we will look at the topic “Democracy: concept and types”. In addition, you will learn about the principles, forms and characteristics of this political regime.

Basic concept

So, we will consider the types of democracy a little later. First you need to understand the term itself. This is a specific form of government, which consists of the full participation of the country's citizens in its leadership. It provides not only the existence of the necessary rights and freedoms, but also universal equality before the laws.

In a democratic society, democracy should be maximally developed. That is, all powers do not have to be concentrated in the hands of one person or group of people. The government that is elected by the people must be as open as possible to the people, report to them on its activities, and strive for the development of the state.

Main features of democracy

Without them, this form of government cannot exist. So, its characteristic features:

1. Democracy has a political and state character.
2. This form of government involves the guarantee and actual exercise of all civil rights.
3. Compliance with established laws, mutual responsibility of the state and people for attacks on the rights and freedoms of people.

As you can see, these signs are not inherent in some other forms of exercise of power, for example, dictatorship.

Principles

The types of democracy are a very important issue not only for politicians, but also for ordinary people. However, it is no less interesting to learn about its principles:

Functions of democracy

Now let’s figure out what exactly the presented form of government should implement. So, there are the following functions of democracy:

• Security. It provides for the security, dignity and honor of every citizen. It helps to preserve human rights and freedoms from infringement by third parties.
• Founding. This provides for the formation of a state apparatus from government bodies and local self-government through elections or competitive selection.
• Organizational and political. This function assumes people as
• Regulatory. It provides for the work of all subjects of a democratic society, who are obliged to unite their efforts and interests to preserve the freedoms and rights of citizens.

• Test. It provides oversight of authorities, which must act within the limits of their powers and competence.
• Stimulating. It provides for maximum provision of state work for the benefit of society. At the same time, the opinion of the people must be taken into account. Citizens are encouraged to be active in public life.

Only democracy can provide this. You will consider the types and forms of this mode below.

Forms

So, there are only two of them:

As you can see, every citizen needs to know the very concept of what democracy is, its types and forms. Every person has certain rights and freedoms that are protected by the state.

Types of democracy

Now there is another important issue to consider. There are these types of democracy:

• Constitutional. It combines not only democratic principles, but also some signs of liberalism.
• Conservative. It is typical for some countries in which long-standing traditions play a significant role. This form of government is practiced in Great Britain.
• Anarchist. It is based on the populist aura that rulers create.
• Polyarchical. Its characteristic feature is the presence of a large number of political centers that can make decisions. That is, power is dispersed.
• Consensus. It is still being developed, but its main goal is to abandon the majority principle. This form of government should exist on mutual partnership, consent, and compromise.

Now you know what democracy is, the concept, types and forms of this regime.

At the latest count, as of 2017, there are 251 countries in the world. They all differ from each other in size, in population and their nationality, in the form of government and in the degree of development. But one of the most important characteristics of the state, on which the entire way of life of the population depends, is political regime . It is he who determines the methods and forms of management that will dominate the country.

In contact with

There are only three main political regimes:

• A totalitarian regime, also called totalitarianism, is that the state controls all spheres of life. The authorities rely on force, any opposition is prohibited, and the leader is exalted.
• An authoritarian regime is characterized by a slightly “softer” rule of power. At the helm is a group of people or one person who has unlimited power, but at the same time certain civil and economic freedoms of citizens are already allowed. Authoritarianism is a softer form of a totalitarian regime.

The most common political regime around the world, which is followed by many states, is democracy . In this regime, first place is placed freedom and rights of citizens. To put it in a nutshell, main principle democracy lies in the fact that society is granted a huge amount of freedoms and rights, including the right to fully participate in the life of the state.

Signs of democracy

Each political regime has characteristics distinctive features, which are their essence. Democratic form of government is no exception. It has several features that set it apart from other methods of governance and which define what democracy is.

• The word itself means the power of the people. It is the people who are with her the main and only source of power.
• The people elect government representatives - deputies. Society does this in only one way - fair, open, free elections.
• Power is not elected once and for all: a distinctive feature of democracy is that deputies are elected for a certain and not very long term, after which elections will take place again.
• Equality of rights for any person is another feature of this regime. Every person has rights, which it can defend with the help of independent mechanisms - courts.
• The entire state structure, the entire state apparatus is not concentrated in a narrow group of people - it is divided into branches of power: legislative, judicial and executive.
• If under totalitarianism the opposition was suppressed and destroyed in every possible way, then democracy in this matter is radically different - the opposition operates freely, expresses their dissatisfaction, organizes processions, political demonstrations, rallies and other forms of expression of protest and disagreement.
• Means independent from the state mass media who freely talk about what is happening in the country - the basis of a democratic system.

The whole essence of democracy lies in the power of the people - votes, referendums, demonstrations at which society expresses its demands, preferences, disagreement, and so on.

Important! Democracy does not guarantee rights and freedoms to absolutely all citizens. For example, a person who has violated any law will have to be punished in the form of restrictions on these same rights and freedoms.

Forms of democracy

There are two forms of this political regime: direct and representative democracy. What is the difference? Let's figure it out.

Main distinctive features are hidden in their name. The direct form of democracy is characterized by the fact that government, that is, power, is exercised directly by the people through voting and referendums.

For a better understanding, let’s give an example: it was proposed to adopt a certain law in the state. In order to decide whether this law will be adopted, a referendum is organized in which everyone votes for or against the adoption of a new bill. Most of them are solved in this or similar ways. important issues in direct democracy.

Representative democracy is fundamentally different. The previous example with a new bill is also suitable: the decision to accept or reject the new bill will be made by deputies who were elected by the people through free and fair elections.

The main difference seems to be clear, but each of the forms has its own pros and cons: under the dominance of the first form, people make decisions themselves, but not all of them are well acquainted with jurisprudence, with laws, with all the subtleties and nuances of such cases. In the second form the power of the people is limited, because he chooses those who will make decisions, and does not make them himself. In this case, there may be a lot of dissatisfied people.

Functions of democracy

Any method of government performs certain functions for the normal existence of the country and its prosperity. Democracy pursues several objectives:

• The first and most important is considered to be the protective function. Society in a modern developed state is given guarantees of security, compliance with laws, protection of the dignity, honor, rights and freedoms of any citizen.
• The organization and formation of the state as an apparatus, as a system of central government bodies and local self-government bodies through fair and free elections is performed by the constituent function.
• The organizational-political function ensures that the people are the only and permanent source of power.
• The regulatory function ensures the correct operation of all necessary entities to ensure the rights and freedoms of citizens.

Only when all the described functions are performed can it be said that a democratic regime prevails in the state.

Pros and cons of democracy

Each mode reflects both positive and negative sides, because ideal options do not exist. With all the progress that democracy brings, it has disadvantages that in one way or another affect the life of society.

Despite all the rather significant disadvantages that appear in democracy, the advantages have a much greater impact on the life of society in a positive direction.

Important! It should be remembered that when asked who democrats are, one should not answer that they are residents of countries with such a regime. Democrats are supporters of a political direction who defend the principles of democracy.

Modern democracies

To clearly examine the impact of democracy on the life of society, let’s take the democratic countries that have achieved the greatest success.

• Switzerland is one of the most economically developed countries. Its inhabitants are rich, the improvement is the highest level, and the whole world looks up to medicine, education and other necessary structures in Switzerland. Democracy is a political system that was established here a long time ago.

• The second largest country in the world by area is Canada, is also one of the most economically developed countries in the world. GDP per capita is extremely high, that is, the standard of living of the population is very well developed. Here the institutions of democracy work for the benefit of society. In addition, Canada has an unusually low crime rate, as well as excellent...

• New Zealand is located in the southwestern part Pacific Ocean and is another democratic country. Very developed economy low level crime - New Zealand, where democracy reigns, can boast of all this.

• Greece is not just another state with a democratic regime, but a state where democracy was born. Exactly at Ancient Greece for the first time, citizens were allowed to elect "high officials." This country is one of the developed countries with a rapidly growing GDP.

What is democracy, its types, pros and cons

Democracy, examples of countries

Conclusion

Democracy is flourishing in many countries of the world, and in most of them there is a significant improvement in life, increasing GDP, developing education, medicine and other areas of society. The democratic regime is the most progressive of all existing ones, because what is more valuable to a person than life and its security, freedom of choice and guarantee of rights.

Greek demos - people, kratos - power) - in the literal sense of the word, democracy, that is, a form of state in which power belongs to the people, exercising their will either directly (direct D.), or through deputies elected by them, forming representative bodies states (representative D.).

Under the conditions of an exploitative class-antagonistic system, democracy, as one of the forms of the exploitative state, cannot be anything other than a specific form of organization political power one or another dominant exploitative minority, its dictatorship. The principle of democracy, formally proclaimed under these conditions, is a hypocritical cover for the dictatorship of the minority, that is, the exploiters.

As a form of state distinct from a monarchy, democracy is known to the first type of state in history—the slave state. The classic example of slave-owning slavery was the ancient direct slaveholding in the Athenian state. In the Athenian Republic public administration carried out by popular assemblies that elected officials and resolved the most important state issues. However, Athenian democracy extended only to the slave-owning minority of the population and consolidated the actual dominance of the top of this population, free citizens, whose number by the time of the highest prosperity of Athens, “... including women and children, consisted of approximately 90,000 souls along with 365,000 slaves of both gender and 45,000 non-full-fledged residents - foreigners and freedmen" (Engels F., The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State, 1950, p. 123). Slaves in a slave-owning society were not considered people at all; for slave owners they were only instruments of production, things.

Depression acquired its most deceitful forms in an exploitative society during the period when the feudal social and state system was replaced by a bourgeois social and state system as a result of the victory of the bourgeois revolution. The development of the capitalist structure formed in the depths of feudal society required the abolition of serfdom and feudal privileges, the equalization of citizens before the law. The bourgeoisie proclaimed its state as an instrument of the “national” will, expressed in laws adopted by parliament, but in reality it is an instrument of the bourgeoisie’s domination over the majority of the population. Compared to the absolutist-serf state, bourgeois democracy, which finds its organizational expression in the formal dominance of the constitutional-parliamentary system, the proclamation of elementary freedoms and rights of citizens, and the equality of citizens before the law, was undoubtedly a significant step forward in the development of mankind. “A bourgeois republic, parliament, universal suffrage - all this from the point of view of the world development of society represents enormous progress” (V.I. Lenin, Soch., vol. 29, p. 449). However, freedom proclaimed by the bourgeoisie for everyone, declaring the rights and freedoms of citizens regardless of their class status, actually meant and means freedom only for the exploitative minority of capitalist society. Under the capitalist system, the exploited majority of the people in fact cannot take advantage of democratic rights and freedoms, which are therefore only formal, pseudo-democratic rights and freedoms. Moreover, the bourgeoisie, even in those cases when it proclaims democratic principles in its constitutions, usually makes such reservations and restrictions that democratic “rights” and “freedoms” turn out to be completely mutilated. For example, constitutions proclaim equality of voting rights for all citizens and immediately contain restrictions on these rights by residence, educational and property qualifications. They proclaim equal rights of citizens and immediately make a reservation that they do not apply in whole or in part to women or to individual nationalities. The bourgeoisie widely resorted to this method of mutilating the democratic rights and freedoms formally granted to everyone immediately after coming to power. Bourgeois democracy is inevitably, therefore, hypocritical and fictitious. Bourgeois democracy, like the entire superstructure of bourgeois society as a whole, is called upon to consolidate and protect the economic basis of the capitalist system - private ownership of the means and instruments of production, ensuring the dominance of the exploiters over the exploited, their privileged position. Lenin, in his lecture “On the State,” emphasized with all his might that “... any state in which there is private ownership of land and the means of production, where capital dominates, no matter how democratic it may be, is a capitalist state.” , it is a machine in the hands of the capitalists to keep the working class and the poor peasantry in subjection. But universal suffrage, the Constituent Assembly, and parliament are only a form, a kind of promissory note that does not change the essence of the matter at all” (V.I. Lenin, Soch., vol. 29, p. 448). “Capital, once it exists, dominates the entire society, and no democratic republic, no suffrage changes the essence of the matter” (ibid., p. 449).

In the era of imperialism, due to the growth of the forces of the working class, the bourgeoisie can no longer govern using the previous methods of bourgeois-parliamentary pseudo-democracy; it turns sharply from bourgeois democracy to reaction. By adapting the state and law to the requirements of the basic economic law of modern capitalism, the imperialist bourgeoisie abolishes or grossly violates those laws previously issued by the bourgeois state that proclaimed elementary democratic rights and freedoms; establishes new, truly draconian laws that make life unbearable for everyone progressively thinking people; moves to methods of terrorist reprisal against progressive organizations, to rampant lawlessness and tyranny, to the fascisation of the entire bourgeois state (see Fascism).

“Before,” he said in XIX Congress party of J.V. Stalin, the bourgeoisie allowed itself to be liberal, defended bourgeois-democratic freedoms and thereby created popularity among the people. Now there is no trace left of liberalism. There is no more so-called “personal freedom” - individual rights are now recognized only for those who have capital, and all other citizens are considered raw human material, suitable only for exploitation. The principle of equality of people and nations has been trampled, it has been replaced by the principle of full rights for the exploiting minority and the lack of rights of the exploited majority of citizens. The banner of bourgeois-democratic freedoms has been thrown overboard" ("Speech at the 19th Party Congress", 1952, p. 12). Using the example of the modern USA, which stands at the head of the imperialist and anti-democratic camp, one can trace the process of transition of the imperialist bourgeoisie. from bourgeois D. to reaction along all lines.

Genuine democracy, genuine democracy becomes possible only as a result of the overthrow of the rule of the exploiting classes and the establishment of a state of the socialist type. This was demonstrated with utmost clarity by the experience of the USSR and people's democracies.

The replacement of bourgeois democracy with socialist democracy (see) is “... a gigantic, world-historical expansion of democracy, its transformation from a lie into truth, the liberation of humanity from the shackles of capital, which distorts and curtails everything, even the most “democratic” and republican, bourgeois democracy" (Lenin V.I., Soch., vol. 28, p. 348).

The victory of the USSR over Nazi Germany demonstrated the advantage of socialist democracy over the deceitful bourgeois democracy.

The Soviet socialist system, the Soviet socialist democracy withstood the difficult trials of the war with honor and emerged from it even stronger and indestructible. The forces of genuine socialist democracy are growing and strengthening every day.

Great definition

Incomplete definition ↓

DEMOCRACY

DEMOCRACY

D. and state are not identical. concepts. States can be undemocratic and anti-democratic. These are, for example, despotic. monarchy during the era of slavery, absolute monarchies during the period of decomposition of feudalism, fascist and semi-fascist states in the era of the general crisis of capitalism. D. is a type of state (bourgeois democratic republic, people's democratic republic, Soviet republic), which is characterized by official. recognition of the principle of subordination of the minority to the majority (see V.I. Lenin, ibid., vol. 25, p. 428). But democracy cannot be understood in isolation from the essence and role of the state; it should not be identified with the subordination of the minority to the majority. The state's recognition of the principle of subordination of the minority to the majority has different antagonistic meanings. social-economic formations and in the transition period from capitalism to socialism. The will of the majority can apply. state by will only when determined. conditions related to the nature of ownership of the means of production and the class composition of society. For this it is necessary that the basic the instruments and means of production were not in the hands of an insignificant minority of members of society, but in the hands of the majority or the entire people. In antagonistic class formations - slaveholding, feudal and capitalist - private ownership of the tools and means of production dominates. This determines the character of societies. and state building and serves ch. the cause of the dominance of the exploiting minority and the subordination of the majority to it. The experience of history shows that the people cannot rule if they are economically driven. or non-economic by coercion, or at the same time by one and the other method they are forced to work for the exploitative.

Socialist the revolution that triumphed in the USSR, and then in a number of other countries, turned the main tools and means of production in societies. own. Thanks to this, true democracy became possible. D. depends on the form of ownership and production. relationships and, in turn, influences them. “Every democracy, like any political democracy in general (inevitable until the abolition of classes is completed, until a classless society is created), ultimately serves production and is ultimately determined by the production relations of a given society” (V. I. Lenin, ibid., vol. 32, p. 60).

For valid the dominance of the will of the majority is necessary for the class that actually implements the state. leadership of society, alone (or together with his allies) constituted the majority of the country's population. This condition of notes in capitalist. society, just as it did not exist in the eras preceding capitalism. This condition arises in the era of the dictatorship of the proletariat. For valid To identify and implement the will of the majority, it is necessary for the state to proclaim and guarantee the rights and freedoms of citizens, ensuring the implementation of this will in legislation, management and other forms of manifestation of the state. authorities. This condition is not present in any class-antagonistic. society. It is evident under the conditions of the dictatorship of the proletariat.

Burzh. the state recognizes the principle of subordination of the minority to the majority and establishes certain policies. (parliaments, local governments, etc.) and legal. institutions (political freedom of citizens, equality of citizens under the law and before the law, etc.) in order to give their class will the appearance of a national one. will or will of the majority of the people. All sorts of statements from the bourgeoisie. ideologists about abstract freedom and equality without taking into account the nature of production. relations, the class composition of the population and the real balance of forces in the class struggle are a deception of the working people. Burzh. The state's formal recognition of universal freedom and equality covers up the factual one. lack of freedom and economic inequality of the vast majority of capitalist members. society and the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie.

The bourgeoisie divides individual rights into human and citizen rights. The individual considered in connection with the so-called civil society, calls a person, and the same individual living and acting in political. sphere, is called a citizen. This division of individual rights is caused by antagonistic. capitalist nature society and the character of the bourgeois. state, which represents and protects the interests not of society as a whole, but only of the selfish. interests of a minority of its members - the bourgeoisie. Modern bourgeois political Activists and theorists hypocritically talk about the sacredness and inviolability of human rights and freedoms. The fact that the goal of capitalism is deliberately hushed up. production is not the satisfaction of the material and cultural needs of man, but the extraction of capitalist. arrived. The widely organized reactionary campaign against the rights and freedoms won by the working people through many years of struggle is being left in the shadows. The term "D." imperialists denote the dominance of imperialism in international affairs. arena directed against peoples who are truly free or liberated from social and colonial slavery.

Burzh. D. in different countries and on different historical stages has varying degrees of development. Free competition usually corresponds to D. in politics. life of society, and capitalist. monopolies - to political. reactions along all lines. During the monopoly period. capitalism, class contradictions are exacerbated (see Imperialism). The working class unites everything democratic. forces that oppose the anti-democratic. trends of capitalism. “That curtailed democracy and the limited social security that workers have under capitalism were achieved and maintained as a result of many years of sharp battles” (Foster W., The Superiority of World Socialism over World Capitalism, see “To Aid Political Self-Education,” 1958, No. 8, p. 66). The bourgeoisie, seeing a danger for itself in the development of democracy, is trying to nullify it by planting and using factual. privileges of the minority and, above all, such as wealth, bourgeois. education, connections, as well as a direct rejection of D. The working class cannot be indifferent to the forms of domination of the bourgeoisie. The struggle for the establishment, preservation and expansion of democracy in capitalism. countries has a huge impact on the course and outcome of the entire class struggle of the working masses. The outcome of the struggle in modern times. era depends on the relationship of class forces in capitalism. countries, on a cut of creatures. influence is exerted by the growing power of the world socialist. systems and the rise of national liberation. movements.

Burzh. D., being a great historical. progress compared to feudal state, is nevertheless “a paradise for the rich, a trap and deception for the exploited, for the poor” (Lenin V.I., Soch., 4th ed., vol. 28, p. 222). The socialist revolution radically changes the class essence and content of democracy and shifts the center of gravity from the formal recognition of rights and freedoms to the actual recognition. their feasibility (D. guarantees) and extends democracy not only to the political sphere. life, but also to all other spheres of society. life. Under capitalism, democracy is carried out exclusively in politics. region and comes down mainly to the democracy of elections to parliaments and local governments. Socialist the revolution establishes equality of rights for all workers, destroys national and racial oppression, proclaims the right to rest and freedom of conscience in the sense of freedom of religion and anti-religion. propaganda, creates conditions for the free activity of numerous. society organizations of workers - parties, trade unions and other voluntary societies. All this means an unprecedented expansion of labor for workers. Under the dictatorship of the proletariat, democratic rights and freedoms are real and guaranteed. Contents socialist. D. is characterized by the constant and decisive participation of the broadest masses of the country's population in politics. life, in the management of the state, the equality of citizens and their real opportunity to enjoy democracy. rights and freedoms: freedom of speech, press, rallies and meetings, processions and demonstrations, active and passive elections. law, regardless of gender, national and race.

Organization and activity of the socialist. state, communist parties and other associations of workers included in the system of the dictatorship of the proletariat are based on the principles of democratic centralism.

The working class can implement its dictatorship only by relying on democracy. will introduce. institutions of a new, higher type. The classics of Marxism gave a deep introduction. institutions, which were created by the Paris Commune of 1871. Lenin created the doctrine of Soviets, the fundamental feature of which he saw, in particular, in the fact that the deputies of the council, i.e. a kind of parliamentarians, “must work themselves, implement their own laws, check what happens in life themselves, answer directly to their voters” (ibid., vol. 25, p. 396).

A necessary feature and obligatory. socialist condition D. in the period of transition from capitalism to socialism is the suppression of the resistance of the exploiters, the degree and forms of which are different in different countries and at different stages of their development and depend on Ch. arr. from the strength of resistance of the overthrown classes. Hence the variety of suppression methods. Moreover, none of them can be absolute. In the USSR, during the transition to socialism, the exploiters were deprived of the right to vote. right With the creation of the socialist society building Sov. the state switched to universal electorate. right. Lenin foresaw that in future socialists. revolutions will not necessarily involve depriving the bourgeoisie of political right In China and other countries. democracy got by without depriving the bourgeoisie of the vote. rights, except for that part of it that offered armed resistance to the new government.

A socialist man. society has full rights in farms. life of society. He has in the sphere of production and distribution of material goods basic. rights: the right to work, to rest, security in old age, in case of illness and disability, the right to personal property, the right to inherit it. Socialist state, attaching great importance to these socio-economic. rights, does not in any way diminish the role and importance of citizens’ freedoms in other spheres of life. Burzh. and right-wing socialist. the authors contrast socio-economic. rights and material security of socialist citizens. state their political freedom. Many of them consider the USA, England and certain other capitalist. country's political standard. D. For example, G. Stassen in the book. “Man was born to be free” (N. Stassen, Man was meant to be free, 1951) depicts the USA and England as bastions of politics. freedom of citizens. However, speaking about freedom of speech, press, personality, bourgeois. politicians and scientists are silent about such freedoms as the freedom of the people from exploitation, the freedom of workers from economic harm. crises, unemployment and poverty. There are no such freedoms in capitalism. countries. These freedoms are characteristic of socialist. society.

Socialist D., which is a world-historical progress compared to the bourgeoisie. state and bourgeois. D., represents the full power and full rights of the working people, led by the working class. It differs in consistency. peacefulness. It opposes imperialism. wars, views them as heinous crime. “Imperialist war,” wrote V.I. Lenin, “is the triple, one might say, of democracy (a – every war replaces “rights” with violence; b – in general there is a denial of democracy; c – imperialist war completely equates republics with monarchies), but the awakening and growth of the socialist uprising against imperialism is inextricably linked with the growth of democratic resistance and indignation" (Works, 4th ed., vol. 23, p. 13).

Burzh. D., firstly, does not exclude international. capitalist policy monopolies, which are characterized by the Cold War, preparation for world war, military. adventures, unheard of national-colonial oppression, strangulation and robbery of weak countries by “advanced” capitalist countries. powers; secondly, capitalism is used. monopolies against the working masses fighting for. Under the cover of D. bourgeois protection. states carry out legislative, administrative, police and judicial measures directed against the movement of peace supporters, progressive organizations exposing preparations for a new world war, advocating the prohibition of atomic and hydrogen weapons. People's struggle the masses for D., rights and freedoms are inextricably intertwined with the struggle for peace.

Socialist In its development, democracy goes through a period of transition from capitalism to socialism, a period of socialism and a gradual transition from socialism to communism. The pattern of its development is the expansion and strengthening, the increase in material opportunities and guarantees of democracy and those freedoms and rights that flow from the power of the people.

The XXI Congress of the CPSU (1959) noted that the period of extensive construction of communism in the USSR is characterized by the full development of socialism. D., involving the broadest sections of the population in all societies. affairs, increasing the role of societies. organizations in all areas of states, farms. and cultural life of the country, the gradual transfer of societies. organizations of a number of state functions, strengthening democratic guarantees. freedoms and human rights.

Marxism-Leninism proceeds from the fact that D. as a political. the institution will die out under communism with the same inevitability as the state, “the functions of public administration will lose their political character and turn into direct people’s management of the affairs of society” (Khrushchev N.S., On the target figures for the development of the national economy of the USSR for 1959–1965 years, 1959, p. 119), but the principles of D. will not disappear, but will be transformed. Execution of societies. functions that will remain under communism (planned and organized distribution of labor, regulation of working hours, etc.) will be carried out on the basis of self-government of the working masses. In society In workers' organizations, complete D. will be the main beginning of their initiative. Lenin wrote that in communist society will be “really complete democracy, becoming a habit and therefore dying out... Full democracy equals no democracy. This is not, but the truth!” ("Marxism on the State", 1958, p. 55).

Lit.: Marx K., Criticism of the Gotha Program, M., 1953; Engels F., The origin of the family, private property and the state, M., 1953; Lenin V.I., State and Revolution, Works, 4th ed., vol. 25; his, Theses and report on bourgeois democracy and the dictatorship of the proletariat on March 4 [at the First Congress of the Communist International on March 2–6, 1919], ibid., vol. 28; his, Proletarian Revolution and the renegade Kautsky, ibid.; his, Speech about deceiving the people with the slogans of freedom and equality on May 19 [at the First All-Russian Congress on Extra-School Education on May 6–19, 1919], ibid., vol. 29; his, Marxism about the state, M., 1958; Khrushchev N.S., On the benchmark figures for the development of the national economy of the USSR for 1959–1965. Report at the extraordinary XXI Congress of the CPSU on January 27, 1959, M., 1959; Declaration of the Meeting of Representatives of Communist and Workers' Parties of Socialist Countries, held in Moscow on November 14–16, 1957, M., 1957; Mao Tse-tung, On the Dictatorship of People's Democracy, 1949; About people's democracy in European countries. Sat. articles, M., 1956; Peskov E. B. and Shabad V. A., Socialist democracy and its “critics”, M., 1957; Shkadarevich I. I., Democracy of Millions, M., 1958; Kadlecová E., Socialisticke vlastenectví, 1957; Bystřina I., Lidová demokracie, Prague, 1957; Flegle A., Geschichte der Democratie, Bd l – Altertums, Nürnberg, 1880; Glover T. R., Democracy in the Ancient World, Camb., 1927; Croiset A., Les démocraties antiques, P., 1909; Lesku W. E. Η., Democracy and Liberty, v. 1–2, L., 1908; Ruggiero G. de, Storia del liberalismo europeo, Bari, 1925; Borgeaud S., The rise of Modern Democracy in Old and New England, L., 1894; Hattersley, Alan F., A short History of Democracy, Camb., 1930, containing bibliography; Allen J. W., A history of Political Thought in the Sixteenth Century, L., 1928; Figgis J. N., Studies of Political Thought from Gerson to Grotius, 2 ed., L.–Edin., 1916; Gooch G. P., English Democratic Ideas in the Seventeenth century, 2 ed., Camb., 1927.

A. Denisov. Moscow.

Philosophical Encyclopedia. In 5 volumes - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia. Edited by F. V. Konstantinov. 1960-1970 .

DEMOCRACY

DEMOCRACY (from the Greek δημοκρατία - democracy) is a form of government in which popular rule of the majority of the population is carried out in the interests of the majority and with the help of the majority. The first democratic political system was implemented in Ancient Greece in Athens under Solon (7th century BC) and developed by Cleisthenes (6th century BC) in his “representative government” - the Council of Five Hundred. “Democracy” itself began to be used to designate the form of government that existed in Athens later, around the middle. 5th century Initially, “isonomia” (Ισονομία - equality of all before the law) and related “isegoria” (?σηγορία-the equal right for all citizens to speak in the people’s assembly and cast a vote), “isocracy” (?σοκρατία-autonomy) were used. Ancient authors (Plato, Aristotle, Herodotus) considered this form of government as a polis system, in which only free native citizens have full and equal rights. Metics (semi-citizen migrants) had significantly limited rights, and slaves had no rights at all.

The democratic freedoms of modern times are significantly wider than the freedoms of the ancient republic, based on slavery, because they become the formal right of everyone, and not the privilege of a few. The subordinate legislation of all citizens, state and public organizations received special development in the concept of democracy by A. de Tocqueville, the most influential in modern socio-political studies. Tocqueville understood by “democracy” not only a certain form of organization of society. In his opinion, this is also a process taking place in society. Tocqueville was the first to warn about the danger of combining formal equality and absolute power - “democratic despotism.”

The philosophical basis of democracy is the relationship between freedom and equality as socio-political values, the real embodiment of which occurs in the relevant state institutions of democracy - direct or representative. The latter is now most common in the form of a rule of law state with its supreme power, which, however, does not extend to the inseparable and inalienable rights of the individual. The guarantee of individual rights in such a state is the separation of powers - legislative, executive and judicial, decentralization of power in the socio-economic and cultural spheres (the theory of “institutional infrastructure” of government bodies). At the same time, democratic associations - civil and political - take upon themselves the protection of the rights of citizens. They become intermediaries between the central government and various layers of society, representing the interests of the latter, and defend the inalienable right of citizens to independence and free initiative, which is subordinate to law. Freedom of the press and trial by jury also contribute to the real implementation of human rights in society.

According to the theorists of democracy of the 20th century. (eg, I. Schumpeter and W. Rostow), liberal ones, such as respect for the individual and the equality of all people, freedom of speech and the press, freedom of conscience, etc., are best ensured precisely through expanding the participation of the masses in political life. R. Dahl and C. Lindblom, using “polyarchy,” conduct a more realistic analysis of existing democratic systems, leaving aside abstract democratic ideals. The real implementation of democracy is significantly hampered by the progressing modern society the concentration of economic power in the hands of the “power elite”, creating oligarchic power and politics, often turning from democracy into kleptocracy.

Lit.: Dahl R. Introduction to the theory of democracy. M., 1991; Leipmrt A. Democracy in multi-component societies. M„ 1997; Novgorodtsev P.I. The crisis of modern legal consciousness. M., 1909; Political science: new directions. M., 1999; Tocqueville A. De. Democracy in America. M„ 1992; Schumpeter I. Capitalism, socialism and democracy. M„ 1995; Halt P. R. Governing the Economy: The Politics of Stale Intervention in Britain and France. Cambr., 1986: Huffman G. State, Power and Democracy. Brighton, 1988; f/ordlmser E. n the Autonomy of the Democratic State. Cambr., 1981. Consolidated encyclopedia of aphorisms

Introduction

Democracy (from the Greek demos - people and kratos - power) - the power of the people, or democracy. This is a form of state, its political regime, in which the people or their majority are (considered) the bearer of state power.

The concept of “democracy” is multifaceted. Democracy is understood as the form of structure of a state or organization, and the principles of governance, and a type of social movements that involve the implementation of democracy, and the ideal of a social structure in which citizens are the main arbiters of destinies.

Democracy as a method of organization and form of management can take place in any organization (family, scientific department, production team, etc.).

Democracy is associated with freedom, equality, justice, respect for human rights, and citizen participation in governance. Therefore, democracy as a political regime is usually contrasted with authoritarian, totalitarian and other dictatorial regimes of power.

The purpose of this test work is to consider democracy from the perspective of its models. Tasks that will help you consider this issue as deeply as possible:

Define the concept of “democracy”;

What are the characteristics of a democratic regime?

Identify the forms in which democracy can exist.

Democracy concept

Definition of democracy

As Bernard Crick put it, “in the lexicon of public policy, democracy is perhaps the safest word.” A term that can mean anything ultimately means nothing. Among the meanings given to the word “democracy” it can be noted that democracy:

It is a system in which power belongs to the poorest sections of society;

It is a government exercised directly and continuously by the people themselves, without the need of professional politicians or civil servants;

It is a society based on the principle of equal opportunity and individual merit rather than hierarchy and privilege;

This is a system of social benefits, assistance to the poor and, in general, redistribution of the social product in order to reduce social inequality;

This is a decision-making system based on the principle of the will of the majority;

It is a system of government that secures the rights and interests of minorities while limiting the power of the majority;

It is a way of holding public office while competing for votes;

It is a system of government that serves the interests of the people, regardless of their participation in political life.

Characteristic features inherent in a democratic regime

Modern Western political science identifies the following characteristic features: democratic regime signs:

1. Power is formed as a result of regular free elections, in which the opposition has a real opportunity to win.

2. There is a real separation of powers: executive, legislative and judicial powers.

3. There is freedom of speech, various political forces have comparable opportunities for access to the media.

4. There is freedom of association, including the freedom to create political parties.

5. There is freedom of enterprise and property rights.

6. There is accountability of elected bodies to their voters.

7. Rights and freedoms are universal.

Forms of democracy

There are three main forms of democracy - direct (major decisions are made directly by all citizens at meetings or through referendums), plebiscitary and representative (decisions are made by elected bodies) democracy.

The essence of direct democracy is that all citizens who have the right to vote gather in one place at a certain time and publicly discuss the most important decisions, including war and peace, the form of government, the amount and method of levying taxes. The final decision is made by a majority vote. During the periods between meetings, current issues are resolved by a democratic government elected by the people.

An important channel for citizen participation in the exercise of power is plebiscitary democracy. The difference between it and direct democracy is that direct democracy involves the participation of citizens at all the most important stages of the governing process (in preparation, adoption of political decisions and control over their implementation), and with plebiscitary democracy, the opportunities for political influence of citizens are relatively limited, for example, referendums . Citizens, through voting, are given the opportunity to approve or reject a particular draft law or other decision, which is usually prepared by the president, government, party or initiative group. The possibilities for the participation of the mass of the population in the preparation of such projects are very small.

Representative democracy is a structure of society in which that part of the population that has the right to vote elects its own authorized representatives who exercise legislative power on behalf of the people. The larger the society, the greater the need for such a form. The population is divided into districts and votes for one party or another. More precisely, for their representatives living right there. If someone is not satisfied with any party, he can vote for an independent candidate. The one who gets the most votes in a given district becomes a deputy.