How do You Define Democracy?

Diane Ravitch, scholar, author, and a former assistant U.S. secretary of education, wrote in a paper for an educational seminar in Poland: "When a representative democracy operates in accordance with a constitution that limits the powers of the government and guarantees fundamental rights to all citizens, this form of government is a constitutional democracy.

Democracy depends on citizen participation in all these ways.  But participation must be peaceful, respectful of the law, and tolerant of the different views of other groups and individuals.

n such a society, the majority rules, and the rights of minorities are protected by law and through the institutionalization of law."

These elements define the fundamental elements of all modern democracies, no matter how varied in history, culture, and economy.

In a democracy, every citizen has certain basic rights that the state cannot take away from them.

Every individual has the right to enjoy their own culture, along with other members of their group, even if their group is a minority.

Despite their enormous differences as nations and societies, the essential elements of constitutional government--majority rule coupled with individual and minority rights, and the rule of law--can be found in Canada and Costa Rica, France and Botswana, Japan and India.

Democracy is a system of rule by laws, not by individuals.

Democracy is more than a set of constitutional rules and procedures that determine how a government functions. In a democracy, government is only one element coexisting in a social fabric of many and varied institutions, political parties, organizations, and associations.

In a democracy, the rule of law protects the rights of citizens, maintains order, and limits the power of government.

This diversity is called pluralism, and it assumes that the many organized groups and institutions in a democratic society do not depend upon government for their existence, legitimacy, or authority.

Office holders cannot use their power to enrich themselves.  Independent courts and commissions punish corruption, no matter who is guilty.

Thousands of private organizations operate in a democratic society, some local, some national. Many of them serve a mediating role between individuals and the complex social and governmental institutions of which they are a part, filling roles not given to the government and offering individuals opportunities to exercise their rights and responsibilities as citizens of a democracy.

If democracy is to work, citizens must not only participate and exercise their rights.  They must also observe certain principles and rules of democratic conduct.

These groups represent the interests of their members in a variety of ways--by supporting candidates for public office, debating issues, and trying to influence policy decisions. Through such groups, individuals have an avenue for meaningful participation both in government and in their own communities

People must respect the law and reject violence.  Nothing ever justifies using violence against your political opponents, just because you disagree with them.

Democracy requires compromise. Groups with different interests and opinions must be willing to sit down with one another and negotiate.

The examples are many and varied: charitable organizations and churches, environmental and neighborhood groups, business associations and labor unions.

In a democracy, one group does not always win everything it wants.  Different combinations of groups win on different issues.  Over time, everyone wins something.

In an authoritarian society, virtually all such organizations would be controlled, licensed, watched, or otherwise accountable to the government. In a democracy, the powers of the government are, by law, clearly defined and sharply limited.

As a result, private organizations are free of government control; on the contrary, many of them lobby the government and seek to hold it accountable for its actions. Other groups, concerned with the arts, the practice of religious faith, scholarly research, or other interests, may choose to have little or no contact with the government at all.

Everyone who is willing to participate peacefully and respect the rights of others should have some say in the way the country is governed.

We in the United States, and in the international community, are going to spend more money and energy to help you build a democracy and rebuild your economy than we have spent to help any other country in the last fifty years.

In this busy private realm of democratic society, citizens can explore the possibilities of freedom and the responsibilities of self-government--unpressured by the potentially heavy hand of the state.

If you choose this path of democracy, freedom, and peace, the democratic peoples of the world—not only the US, but the European Union, Japan, Canada, and so on—will all be with you.

Building a democracy out of the ruins of a brutal dictatorship requires great courage, effort, and patience on the part of ordinary people.  It takes a long time.