What is a democracy?
In a democratic society, people have the power and authority to actively participate in the process of decision making regarding their society.
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There are two types of democracies majorly:
- Direct democracy:
Every member of the society participates directly in the decision-making process. It is feasible when the number of people is less, but it isn’t a very feasible if the number of people is large.
- Representative democracy:
All members of the society vote for leaders to represent them in the decision making and actions of the political process. It is a feasible option when the number of people is very large.
In a democratic country, people with the right to vote can vote for the party and the politicians they want to represent them in political decision-making at the national, regional and local level. The politicians or parties that receive the most votes, i.e. a majority of the votes, are those that are allowed to have the biggest say in decision-making.
The elected politicians represent the voters and are the system is therefore called representative democracy. Representative democracies are now a common form of government in the world.
PROS:
- Encourages personal involvement of people, this promotes political awareness as well which is very important.
- It promotes equality, since every citizen has an equal vote irrespective of their economic background, caste, etc.
- It decentralizes power i.e. the power given by the voters doesn’t lie with one person but is distributed at local, regional and national level.
- It encourages people to voice up their opinions, people also tend to have strong believe and faith in their government since they were personally involved in election process.
- It does act according to the opinion of the majority but it also safe guards the rights of the minority.
- It is the fairest type of government possible.
- Constitutional limits on government.
- The GDP growth rate is generally higher for such countries.
CONS:
- Half knowledge about the workings of government and several political parties can lead to disastrous voting results. it is necessary for every voting individual to be well-versed on the subject matter being voted upon. Without that knowledge, an unnecessary or potentially harmful piece of legislation could be passed.
- Modification of any laws or policy takes a very long time, same goes with passing new policies and laws. It shows that this type of government maybe fair but lacks efficiency.
- Democracy can result in unwieldy coalitions, or endless squabbling and political deadlock. Other political systems can find it easier to proceed in a unified direction.
- A conflict of interest can sometimes occur, where a politician, or government has to decide between acting in the best interests of the country and increasing their chances of re-election. Often, they will choose the latter.
- Elections take up a lot of time and vast amounts of money is spent on them. It could be argued that all the millions spent on political adverts might be better spent on other, more beneficial things.
- The democratic process encourages politicians to make promises that they know they can’t keep, in order to be elected. This creates public cynicism and disillusionment in the long run.
What is monarchy?
A monarchy is a form of government in which total sovereignty is invested in one person, a head of state called a monarch, who holds the position until death or abdication. Monarchs usually both hold and achieve their position through the right of hereditary succession (e.g. they were related, usually the son or daughter, of the previous monarch), although there have been elective monarchies, where the monarch holds the position after being elected: the papacy is sometimes called an elective monarchy.
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PROS:
- The chain of command is always active, as people already know who their next leader will be.
- Decisions are made quickly, since only only one person has to take it.
- Instead of focusing on specific labels, such as “liberal” or “conservative,” the focus is on specific issues instead.
- There will always be tough decisions that must be made, but a monarchy moves forward as one nation instead of a group of different parties.
- Throughout world history, monarchies usually have the strongest armies and defensive protocols.
- Because decisions run through the ruling class, and often through a specific individual, a monarchy is more efficient than most other forms of government.
- The modern monarchy is typically a figurehead in the government instead of being the all-ruling overseer of everything. The government structure of the United Kingdom is a good example of this.
CONS:
- Abusive rulers can have unlimited authority.Because they stay in power until death.
- Most monarchies have societal class systems which are based on wealth and nobility. Class discrimination is more prominent.
- Businesses may have some freedoms to operate within a monarchy, but only at the ruling individual’s leisure. If the king or queen wants your business to stop operating, then you’re out of business.
- Kings and queens report to no one. This means they can rule according to what they want instead of what their people want.
- Because only one family or one “noble” group is allowed into the ruling class under the structure of a monarchy, it becomes difficult for the people to direct a change in what happens in their society.