Democracy Index

In Plato’s The Republic (Translated by Allan Bloom) the topic of choosing the ruling class is a very important one as well as one of the most vital aspects of building an ideal society. In books III through VII, Socrates argues that the most effective rulers of his perfect society are philosopher-kings, chosen by previous rulers of the city who were also philosopher-kings. Throughout the majority of the prospective rulers’ lives, they are trained academically and physically in order to prepare…

For the second part of this project, I will be designing a process tracing research design for the theory regarding resilient Monarchs as stated by Menaldo (Menaldo, 2012). The theory states that countries in the Middle East and North African region (MENA) that are monarchies will have a higher level of political stability, when compared to the MENA republics. My research question will therefore be ‘How are Mena monarchies able to remain politically relatively stable, when compared to the…

The function of a constitution in a democracy is to limit the power of government from infringing on the rights of the people, states, and different branches of government. It sets forth the basic rights of a citizen: life, liberty, right to property, and pursuit of happiness. It also has the fundamentals to establish responsibility for the government to protect those basic rights. It can also serve as a limitation on how those in government may use their power, with consideration that they must…

Throughout history there have been great social changes whenever it came to the rights that privileged citizens held over others. As disparages between social classes grows there is an outcry for the same privileges that had long been privy to a certain percentage of the population to be shared. Great Britain however began to change in regards to this social norm when the Reform Bills were introduced. In Britain the Reform Bills were brought into being for the sake of suffrage regardless of…

education, and the willingness to restructure the government so as to be a system in which individuals are directly effecting the government, a call for direct democracy on smaller levels as opposed to the current republican system. This is what makes the concept unlikely, the membership and power is too massive for the frame work of direct democracy to reconcile and appreciate, fully, all views of political order where power is concentrated in few positions that are dependent on influence,…

In the latter half of the 18th century, there were many questions regarding absolutism, the church, and the individual’s role within society in both Europe and the Americas. This period referred to as the Enlightenment brought religion, economics, government, and the role of society and it’s people into question. Born in 1712, Jean-Jacques Rousseau helped to vocalize the Enlightenment ideals of natural rights, equality, and the importance of individuals living in communion with one another. Born…

There are many forms of government practiced in Renaissance Italy. With this in mind, the main functions of the government were to create and enforce laws and institutions (republics); as well as make laws by decree (signori). (Najemy, pg 195) Also, the government’s were responsible for public order, control of violence, justice, military/war, tax/finance, and diplomacy. (Najemy, pg 195) Thinking about this, enforcing laws and institutions, as well as making laws by decree are both very…

democratic is America? A textbook definition of democracy is “a form of government in which the people rule, either directly or through elected leaders”. Pure democracy is when the people directly rule. Pure democracy typically only works in small societies. In America, we have a representative democracy. We vote for representatives and those representatives vote on the policies that will affect the public. The model for a representative democracy should look like this…

Throughout history, there have been numerous eras of change and revolution in thought and social practise; however, none have been as momentous and influential in changing Europe as the period of Enlightenment that spread across the continent between the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. With the rise of “enlightened” thought, there was an influx of new writers that brought forth new and stimulating ideas, which caused quite a stir in the conservative areas of the world. Widely acclaimed…

of modern liberal democracies and they simultaneously act to support and to subvert the principles that envelop democracy. The organisation of the masses into cohesive entities where political power can be aggregated is one of the most important functions carried out by political parties as it feasibly allows the average member of the populace to participate in the democratic political process. Accountability of the ruling government is a key fixture of modern liberal democracies and political…