POLİTİKA BİLİMİ

Manipulation of truth is not among the problems democracy must overcome to support its citizens.

Plato suggested that an aristocracy led by philosopher-kings (the wisest men) would be a more just form of government. Plato claimed that government which serves individual citizen’s changing needs, instead of works to help the population as a group, would lead to mob rule.

There are different organizational structures, and different sizes, of democracies. The Economist identifies democracies as: full democracy (examples: Norway and Canada); flawed democracy (examples: United States and France); as hybrid regime (for example Pakistan); or as authoritarian democracy (examples: Russia and China).

A socialist parliamentary government represents democracy in India, the world’s largest democracy based on population. India’s democracy tries to provide equal opportunity for all Indian citizens by removing economic inequality to reduce concentration of wealth.

Conservatives believe that stability comes from fixed, unchanging rules, while progressives have a more progressive attitude, accepting responsibility for their own behavior and that government rules would adapt to accommodate social change over time.

The concept of democracy is credited to have originated some time ago with the ancient Greeks. The Greek word for democracy, dēmokratía, literally meant, “rule of the people.”

Switzerland is a good example of direct democracy. Referendum voting in Switzerland follows three different methods: mandatory, popular initiative, and optional.

Many African nations are considered hybrid democracies because there are elections for leadership but there is little government support for citizens. Tanzania is one example, modelled on a unitary form of government. Its president is both head of state and head of government.

Saudi Arabia is considered an oligarchy since the Saudi family controls the government. The Saudi oligarchy has hereditary origin. No one leader controls all elements of government because power is distributed through family members, even if the head of the Saudi family is considered head of the state.

Plutocracy is a form of leadership resulting from the very wealthy taking control of government. Its only purpose for its members is to make them richer by controlling the government that supported their wealth in the first place.

A stratocracy is a form of government headed by military chiefs. It is not the same as a military dictatorship or junta in which military power is not supported by law. A stratocracy actually provides citizen support as a constitutional enablement.