Democracy is a dominant concept widely used in modern government, and it is also opposed to “autocracy” in political doctrine. In the past centuries to now, the concept of the democracy and the formation process in different countries have different results, hence each country’s democratic system is not the same. As people can see that most predecessor of the democratic government were authoritarianism, thus “democratization” can be seen as a means of the citizens to resist the dictatorship. In this essay, it will describe the beginning, the transformation and the present situation of the democracy in the following four countries: United States, France, Spain and Zimbabwe. At last, this essay also will explain the reasons of the variation of
…show more content…
Due to the influence of the Enlightenment and a number of philosophers proposed reforms for liberty and democracy, such as John Locke’ Two Treatises of Government in 1690. Locke’s writing greatly affected the British human rights, and a large number of the American revolutionaries and politicians were also influenced by Locke’s concepts. Ultimately, because of the external forces in many aspects, which cause the American Revolutionary war took place in 1776. In 1789, the United States government formally promulgated the first written constitution in the world, Constitution of the United States, for the protection of liberty, democracy and basic human rights of every citizen in the state. In addition, this point in time was also beginning of the United States towards a democratic society and the democratic reform. Citizens have the rights of the civil and political participation when they living in democratic countries, with elections as representatives of the democratization. ‘The first and most important power of the people in America is the right to vote in free elections to choose those who govern.’ (Cumming 1993: 11). Since the United States was independent and developed into a democratic state, however, racial and gender discrimination has always existed in American society. Among them, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which two legislations as the two most important reforms in the history of American democracy. The enactments prohibited citizens to discriminate and segregate of different races, colours, genders and national minority. Furthermore, the Voting Rights Act also prohibition of racial discrimination in the voting process (Berolzheimer 2013). In the course of modern democratic change, after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the United States approved a new bill to monitor the citizens in state, the
Due to the influence of the Enlightenment and a number of philosophers proposed reforms for liberty and democracy, such as John Locke’ Two Treatises of Government in 1690. Locke’s writing greatly affected the British human rights, and a large number of the American revolutionaries and politicians were also influenced by Locke’s concepts. Ultimately, because of the external forces in many aspects, which cause the American Revolutionary war took place in 1776. In 1789, the United States government formally promulgated the first written constitution in the world, Constitution of the United States, for the protection of liberty, democracy and basic human rights of every citizen in the state. In addition, this point in time was also beginning of the United States towards a democratic society and the democratic reform. Citizens have the rights of the civil and political participation when they living in democratic countries, with elections as representatives of the democratization. ‘The first and most important power of the people in America is the right to vote in free elections to choose those who govern.’ (Cumming 1993: 11). Since the United States was independent and developed into a democratic state, however, racial and gender discrimination has always existed in American society. Among them, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which two legislations as the two most important reforms in the history of American democracy. The enactments prohibited citizens to discriminate and segregate of different races, colours, genders and national minority. Furthermore, the Voting Rights Act also prohibition of racial discrimination in the voting process (Berolzheimer 2013). In the course of modern democratic change, after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the United States approved a new bill to monitor the citizens in state, the