THE FUTURE OF DEMOCRACY. Steve Zolno

       Introduction

      Why another book on democracy? Many works have been written about the democratic process from the time of the ancient Greeks to the present. Wherever, and in whatever form it has existed, the establishment of a democratic government always has been a response to conditions seen as oppressive. To succeed in the long-term, every attempt at democracy must include a clear and viable path forward. Yet little has been written about what is needed to sustain such a path – from the efforts of individuals to the actions of nations.

Governments are not the only forms in which democracy can take place. Our personal relationships, families, schools, organizations, and institutions also can be workshops for democracy. In these places it can be practiced so that it eventually blossoms into full expression at the level of our nations. At its core, democracy is based on “the determination and longing to be treated with respect and some degree of consideration.”¹

      When primitive societies grew too large to be governed by consensus, members of tribes, states, and then nations were expected to follow the dictates of a ruler. Subjects often pushed back against oppression. Rarely, though, have truly democratic societies emerged as a direct result of revolution.

      The first known democratic state, according to most historians, was Athens around 460 BCE. After the ancient Greeks there were elements of democracy in a number of political entities, including Rome, that extended citizenship to conquered peoples. As we will see, there even was a degree of democracy among serfs in the Middle Ages. But the idea of democracy at the level of a nation wasn’t resurrected until the approach of the “Enlightenment,” beginning around 1700, when European writers began to question the absolute rule of monarchs. This laid the groundwork for both the American and French Revolutions by the end of the century.

Since that time democracy has been tried on all continents, at times with greater success than others. After its introduction in the United States it slowly spread to over 100 nations that considered themselves democratic. Types of democracy have been established around the world and many governments have democratic elements.² Democracy exists to varying degrees within many nations, but no system is exactly the same. The United States, for example, is considered a constitutional republic, Britain is a constitutional monarchy, while India is a parliamentary democracy.

      Just as there are no individuals or groups of people exactly alike – with the same values and beliefs – there is no one model for democracy. The only standard by which any truly democratic institution must operate is that it continues to move toward government that benefits the largest number of individuals possible.

      Voting is no guarantee of real democracy that assures the rights of all. Candidates, referendums, and propositions are limited to what is on the ballot, and in some countries voting options are preselected by those in power. Voting often leads to unforeseen results which fail to live up to promises or expectations. If voting results in the domination by some groups or individuals over others, the result no longer is democratic. Debates – where people line up on one side or another about issues or candidates – are not the same as real discussions about how to maintain democratic values.

      Democracy, along with opposition to it, is found throughout our world. Yet nations are made of people, and to understand the progress and challenges of nations we must have insight into the human beings who make them up. There have been attempts to provide this insight from the time democracy began. Plato, Aristotle, John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Voltaire and James Madison are among those who have written about how human ideals and inclinations affect our interactions and contribute to the success or failure of political institutions.

      There is a common thread to the themes of these great thinkers: maintaining respect for the aspirations of the individual. For democracy to succeed there must be a commitment by those involved to creating and moving toward a common vision. And what is that vision? In democracy power resides in the people as a whole. This, of course, is more easily said than achieved. If democracy is government by the people it requires a faith among them that they can work together to pursue self-governance. The goal of a nation – or organization – that considers itself democratic must be that the rights of all participants are honored, with the possible exception of those who prove a danger to society itself.

      In these pages we will discuss how genuine democratic elements within a country are likely to lead to a better future for its people. We will explore the ways that real democracy – that which benefits the largest possible number of people – contributes to progress and growth. We will consider how quality human interactions – those in which all are respected – affect relationships and organizations, and what can be done to bring them into play. We will examine why the continuation of democracy is challenged everywhere it exists. And we will seek to understand how our views – and our actions based on them – move us closer to, or further from, a society that honors the rights of every individual.