The framers of the Constitution feared that direct democracy could lead to the “tyranny of the majority.” For example, inFederalist No. 10,James Madisonspecifically calls for a constitutional republic employing representative democracy over a direct democracy to shield the individual citizen from the...
Meaning “rule by the people,” democracy is a system of government that not only allows but requires the participation of the people in the political process to function properly. U.S. PresidentAbraham Lincoln, in his famed 1863Gettysburg Addressmay have best defined democracy as a “…governme...
It is widely known that the word "democracy" derives from a Greek word translated as "the rule of people". Democracy was born in Ancient Greece, specifically in the city of Athens; in ancient times, this form of government wasn't the most widespread. The Athenian Democracy was direct. Onl...
Direct Democracy or Astroturf? Recent Examples of Initiative, Referendum and RecallPilver, Erika ECronin,T.E. Direct democracy: The politics of initiative, referendum and recall . 1989
Direct Democracy There are two common types of democracy: In a representative democracy, citizens choose representatives to vote on laws for them. In a direct democracy, citizens vote on the laws themselves. The key difference between the two is the person voting on the laws - the ...
Socialism was a direct response to the Industrial Revolution, which brought enormous economic and social change to Great Britain and the rest of the world. As industrialists grew wealthy on the labor of workers who increasingly lived in poverty, socialism emerged as an alternative to capitalism, ...
Whether it is choosing your next holiday destination or an ice cream flavor, making a choice is sometimes the most difficult thing in life. However, if there is anything that can make such decisions easier, it is a list of options. Well,multiple-choice questionsare about that!
Do We Still Live in a Popular Sovereignty System? Today many countries have adopted systems of representative democracy in which people vote for officials they believe will make decisions in their best interest. Some countries also have plans of direct democracy, where the people vote on laws th...
Who was Cleisthenes and why is he important for the history of democracy? (Hint: go back to Ancient Greece.) Name the 5 characteristics a society needs to be classified as ''democratic?'' (Hint: citizens' equality is key.) Name 1 reason that would make a direct democracy in the ...
Classical liberals rejected the idea ofdirect democracy—government shaped solely by a majority vote of citizens—because majorities might not always respect personal property rights or economic freedom. As expressed by James Madison inFederalist 21, classical liberalism favored a constitutional republic, ...