One of the most common in the modern world is the political model in which people are the bearers of power in the state. And such a model can be implemented in several ways.
People power
If we talk about the political regime, where democracy is most clearly expressed, then it makes sense to recall democracy. It is in it that the principle of the participation of citizens of the state in the fate of the country and its structure is implemented.
Paying attention to the definition of such a state system, we can come to the following thesis: democracy is such a political regime in which the people are recognized as the only legitimate source of power in the country. Citizens can exercise control without intermediaries (direct democracy), or by choosing representatives who will pursue the interests of the country's population (representative democracy). In any case, government bodies are formed that are necessary for the competent management of the country's resources.
In principle, the main goal of democracy is to ensure the freedom of citizens and implement a strategy based on their interests. In this case, it makes sense to recall the position of Abraham Lincoln, who believed that democracy is the management of the name of the people, the forces of the people and for the people.
Where the power of the people was first realized
This kind of state system, such as democracy, was formed in ancient Greece. It was in this country that much attention was paid to the issue of the power of citizens and considered various facets of such a model.
But this idea was partially realized by the Greeks, since both foreigners and slaves could not be classified as citizens. Later, in various medieval states, a similar electoral model was applied, in which not all were given equal rights. In other words, the power of the people was present, but not everyone had the honor of being ranked among the people.
Given these features, the researchers identified this type of government as slave democracy.
Features of modern democracy
As for the current society, the principles of democracy are implemented by various public authorities, which are the most suitable concept for countries with market economies (Western European countries, USA).
This led to the formation of the following features of modern democracy:
- state power is divided into three key segments: legislative, executive and judicial;
- there is an election of authorities;
- the minority is subordinate to the majority;
- minority rights are protected;
- political freedoms and rights are realized.
Direct democracy
In order to understand what a state looks like where the direct power of the people is realized, one needs to pay attention to the model of direct democracy.
The main difference between such a political system is the absence of intermediaries between the moment of the formation of the people's will and its practical implementation. In modern society, such a vision of the state is realized through elections, during which it became possible to express the will of the people as to who will represent the interests of citizens in public authorities.
Some countries operate on the basis of legislation providing for direct forms of people's participation in the legislative process. It is a question of various initiative decisions and referenda.
A referendum should be understood as an expression of the power of the people through direct voting on key government issues. Moreover, this can be both a survey necessary to adjust the decision of the government, and the process of re-election of power or blocking a specific law.
As for the initiative, in this case we are talking about the procedure necessary in order to officially invite citizens or legislative bodies to consider any issue. As a rule, for its implementation, the collection of the required number of signatures is used to start the referendum.
If we talk about alternative forms by which democracy, the power of the people and the freedom of citizens as such are manifested, it is worth mentioning processions, rallies, demonstrations and appeals to representatives of the authorities, regardless of their level. Often, mass media are used as an instrument for implementing democracy.
Representative democracy
With this form of government, there is no direct expression of the will of the people. In such countries, the institution of mediators is used, and such a system is called delegated democracy.
According to the election results, political leaders and deputies receive the so-called mandate of trust from the people. It is they who subsequently are the tool with which the power of the people is realized. Such actions take the form of decisions and specific bills that are also being developed by political structures.
Such relations between the people themselves and their representatives are based on the concept of responsibility and authority of the authorities to citizens.
Advantages and disadvantages of various models
As you can see, in a democracy, although power belongs to the people, it can be realized in a variety of ways, including through the formation of a layer of intermediaries.
In order to evaluate each model, it is worth considering its possible disadvantages and advantages. So, what are the disadvantages of direct democracy:
- in the opinion of opponents of this type of democracy, people are often emotionally unbalanced and lack sufficient competence to make key political and economic decisions;
- the process of making agreed decisions with a sufficiently large number of participants is complex;
- The rapid decision-making is also hindered by a significant variation in opinions;
- Another argument against the direct power of the people is the possibility of manipulating civic opinion with competent and not entirely bona fide leaders.
The following factors are voiced as obvious benefits of direct democracy:
in this form of government, the highest expression of people's power are civil initiatives and referenda, which helps prevent a distortion of the will of the country's inhabitants;
such a system significantly expands the political horizons of citizens.
As for the minuses of representative democracy, they look like this:
- ordinary deputies are suspended from making key decisions;
- deputies are moving away from the people who elected them, which is expressed in a fairly high level of bureaucracy;
- powerful pressure groups can have a priority influence on important decisions;
- democratic control from below is noticeably weakening.
But representative democracy also has significant advantages that clearly deserve attention:
- Deputies with a high level of political qualification replace illiterate representatives of the people, which increases the likelihood of the formation and implementation of the most relevant state development strategy;
- it becomes possible to achieve a balance of interests during decision making.
The goal of a democratic constitution
Speaking about such concepts as “power”, “people”, “state” and “freedom of citizens”, it is important to pay attention to the reason for creating the constitution and its main tasks.
These are the following objectives:
- expression and consolidation of the consent of the people;
- fixing certain forms of government;
- regulation of powers of government structures.
The constitution also allows you to initially recognize democratic values and only then engage in their implementation.
