The Significance of Democracy: Its Role and Impact in the Modern World

This essay examines the significance of democracy as the best form of government in the modern world, contrasting it with other regimes like totalitarianism, monarchy, and dictatorship. It highlights key features such as accountability to the people, transparency, protection of human rights, and decentralization. The essay emphasizes the role of citizens in electing representatives and participating in law-making, ensuring that the government serves the welfare of the public. Furthermore, it discusses fundamental rights, freedoms, and the importance of an independent judiciary in upholding the rule of law. The essay concludes that while democracy has its drawbacks, its advantages, including the ability to resolve conflicts peacefully and promote national unity, make it the most desirable and popular choice for governance in the contemporary world.

Running head- IMPORTANCE OF DEMOCRACY IN THE MODERN WORLD
IMPORTANCE OF DEMOCRACY IN THE MODERN WORLD
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1IMPORTANCE OF DEMOCRACY IN THE MODERN WORLD
Introduction
Context- The context of the essay is to analyze the workings of a democratic government. There
are different kinds of government regimes that have been implemented in countries all over the
world like totalitarian, monarchy, military, aristocracy, dictatorship and democracy and so on. In
the modern world, democracy has surpassed every other forms of government to prove itself as
the best form of government. The word democracy appeared for the first time in the Greek when
under Cleisthenes, known as the father of democracy; Athens formed the first democracy in the
world in 508-507 BC (Schumpeter 2013). The primary reason for the establishment of
democracy was the disappointment due to corruption and lack of transparency among the
monarchs who followed the divine right of kings. During the post-world war depression
democracy faced a challenge from dictatorship in the form of Nazi and fascist rule in Germany
and Italy. However, with the end of Second World War, the victory of democratic England and
USA over the dictatorship of Hitler and Mussolini brought about a wave of change and majority
of the countries gaining independence thereafter accepted democracy henceforth (Blythe 2014).
The thesis statement of the essay is that democracy is the best form of government in the modern
world.
Definition- David Held a renowned author of political science defines democracy as a system of
government which in contrast to aristocracy and monarchy, is ruled by the people.
US president Abraham Lincoln’s definition of democracy as a government of the people, by the
people and for the people serves as the classical example of democracy.

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Therefore from the above definitions of renowned authors it can be assumed that people or the
citizens of the state play the most vital role in a democracy. Democracy is a system of
government where the citizens of the state choose their representative by the process of voting.
Thesis statement- The thesis statement of the essay is that democracy is the best form of
government in the modern world and in the following paragraphs would examine and study the
features that make it the best form of government in the world.
One of the most important features making democracy the best form of government in the
modern world is the fact that in a democracy the representative is elected by the people of the
nation hence he or she is accountable to the people for every decision he or she takes. No other
form of government gives this much authority in the hand of its people. The government always
has the responsibility put the welfare of its public first irrespective of his or her personal choices.
The government is obliged to answer to the people for every decision he or she takes. This
further helps them in working towards policies and goals for the betterment of the people. The
government due to its credibility to the people is forced to maintain transparency in its decisions
and policies. Unlike dictatorship or monarchial government systems in a democracy, the public
vests the real power. A democracy truly in every way empowers the mass (Miller78 2016). This
is perhaps why Abraham Lincoln’s renowned description of democracy as “by the people, for the
people and of the people” laid emphasis on the word people because they are the real
government maker in this system. Every individual in a democracy in the country is a vital part
of the governing system (Dunleavy 2014). The people elect the member of the legislature, which
makes the laws. The people also select the executive that runs the country. If he or she is found
to be corrupt, the people can remove him or her from the position. Every citizen in a democracy
irrespective of their caste, religion or language is given the right to vote and choose their

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representative. The sense of participation of the people would make them more active and
increase their awareness in the law making of the society. A democracy does not put power in
the hands of a single person (Box 2015). When power goes into one person’s hand, the
government becomes autocratic which leads to dictatorship. In an ideal democracy, the power of
choosing government lies in the hand of all the citizens. The people indirectly choose the policies
and programs of the government. The government cannot act arbitrarily and is always
responsible and accountable to the people because they have the power to appoint as well as
dispose him. Democracy promotes and protects human rights, animal rights and gender rights.
In a democratic society, minority rights are protected by the nation (Markoff 2015). Minorities
would not feel threatened in a democratic country because their voices are equally heard. They
have their representatives in the government who are chosen by them and they forward the needs
and demand of the minority community. If the people choose efficient dedicated and stable
government, the nation would progress under him or her. A unique feature of a democracy,
which no other form of government provides, is the fundamental right and freedoms that is
provided by the constitution of a democracy. Freedom of speech and expression, freedom of
religion are some of the freedom that are provided to the people in a democracy (Almond and
Verba 2015). Unlike authoritarian nation, democratic government has no power in controlling
the thoughts, expression, and speech or religion preference of the people. Right to assemble
peacefully without arms, right to education, right to vote, right to choice is the basic rights that
the democratic constitution assures its citizens. Democracy advocates for human rights and no
one not even the state can take away those rights. The rights are constitutionally recognized and
the constitution is the supreme law of the land in a democracy. Decentralization is yet another
unique feature of a democracy, which other forms of government systems do not have. In this

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system, there is a peaceful division of power between the center and state. Self-government is
implemented in the grassroots level, which makes the citizens more aware and active in handling
their issues from the very lowest level. The central government looks after matters of national
interest like finance, foreign policy and defense. Therefore democracy can be considered the best
form of government for a country.
Democracy provides for the scope of equal opportunity with universal adult franchise is a
primary tool of a democracy, irrespective of caste, creed, religion, caste or sex to every adult
citizen to cast their vote and choose their representatives. Everyone except lunatics and criminals
can use the power. This is one significant aspect of democratic country because every citizen is
treated equally without any discrimination in the eyes of law (Blythe 2014). This also develops a
patriotic feeling towards motherland and increases dignity of every citizen. One unique feature of
a democratic country that is not provided by any other form is its open protest. No other
government regimes allow masses to protest together openly against the government’s decisions
except a democracy. In autocratic countries, the government crushes any form of revolutionary
spark if noticed. Democracy gives every citizen an opportunity to put forward his or her opinions
(Hammar 2017). Democracy is the best amongst every other form of government because it is a
system of equality and justice. It gives equal opportunities to all its citizens. The people are the
ultimate lawmakers here. If there is corruption in the system, it is because the people themselves
are supporting and choosing the wrong representatives. However, what sets a democracy apart is
its right to protest of the citizens. The citizens have the right to express any kind of views and
show their disapproval against government policies. A government in a democracy can be
pressurized by the citizens to put forward their protests against any kind of unfair or unjustified

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practice. This furthermore establishes why democracy is the best form of government for any
country.
Another distinct feature of a democracy is its ability to resolve conflicts in a peaceful
way. In large societies, there often rise various conflicts among different sections of the people.
In a democracy, people learn to live peacefully keeping the differences aside. The rule of law is
the most important aspect of a democracy. The law of the land is supreme in a democracy and
every individual of the land is subjected to the same law whether rich, poor, strong, or weak. The
decision of the law is binding to every member of the land, which includes the government
(Miller78 2016). The judiciary is deemed as the strongest of the three wings the other two being
executive and legislature. The judiciary is independent in its power and function and the other
wings of the government have no power or control over it. Independent judiciary makes sure that
power is separated from the government which leads to misuse of power (Dunleavy 2014). These
rights are guaranteed by the constitution of a democratic society which means nobody not even
law can change these rights like the right to peaceful protest critical to the functioning of
democracy. The judiciary is the most vital organ of a land. Democracy therefore is considered
best as this system of government promotes and improves national unity and efficiently looks
after every aspect of the nation (Box 2015).
Summary
Therefore it can be summarized that democracy notably the best form of government as it
is evident that a democracy is blessed with multiple advantages over the other forms of
government. Winston Churchill had said that democracy is the best form of government
(Schumpeter 2013). Like every other issues, this system has some drawbacks as well, which can

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be curbed with the help of smart and efficient government (Markoff 2015). Democracy functions
through the election of a just and ideal government the power of which is vested in the hands of
people. The numerous advantages of a democracy set it apart from its counterparts and make it
the best and most popular choice of the people.
Final statement- From the above essay the evidence of democracy as the best and
ultimate form of government system is clear. The advantages and uniqueness of a democratic
system renders it a very important position in the world politics and every state of the present
world must and should follow a democratic setup if they wish to flourish and be ruled with
justice and equality.

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References
Almond, G.A. and Verba, S., 2015. The civic culture: Political attitudes and democracy in five
nations. Princeton University Press.
Blythe, J.M., 2014. Ideal government and the mixed constitution in the middle ages. Princeton
University Press.
Box, R.C., 2015. Democracy and public administration. Routledge.
Dunleavy, P., 2014. Democracy, bureaucracy and public choice: Economic approaches in
political science. Routledge.
Hammar, T., 2017. Democracy and the nation state. Routledge.
Markoff, J., 2015. Waves of democracy: Social movements and political change. Routledge.
Miller78, D., 2016. Citizenship and national identity. Democracy: A Reader, p.447.
Schumpeter, J.A., 2013. Capitalism, socialism and democracy. Routledge.