Definition of the term democracy. What is democracy brief definition

Philosophy: Encyclopedic Dictionary. - M.: Gardariki. Edited by A.A. Ivina. 2004.

Philosophical encyclopedic dictionary. - M.: Soviet encyclopedia. Ch. editor: L. F. Ilyichev, P. N. Fedoseev, S. M. Kovalev, V. G. Panov. 1983.

DEMOCRACY (from Greek demos - people and kratos - power)
a form of state-political structure of society in which the people are the source of power. The right of the people to participate in public affairs is recognized in combination with a wide range of civil rights and freedom.

Philosophical encyclopedic dictionary. 2010.

DEMOCRACY (Greek δημοκρατία - power of the people, from δῆμος - people and κράτος - power). The term "D." used: 1) to denote democracy, 2) to characterize the state, the country is distinguished by a number of legal entities. characteristics (recognition of the will of the majority as a source of power and declaration of freedom and equality of citizens), 3) as a synonym for the rights and freedoms of citizens. However, no matter in what sense D. is defined, in all cases it is one of the political. forms of class dictatorship, a weapon in the class struggle. Countless many of the most common definitions of D., given by the bourgeoisie. science, can be conditionally divided into 3 main ones. groups: 1) D. means Ch. arr. or exclusively a form of government that differs from other forms of government in its specifics. signs; 2) D. is not only a form of government, but a “philosophy of society” in the sense of ideals and principles that drive and control the behavior of members of society; 3) definitions of D., including in one or another combination elements of the definitions of the first two groups. The authors of the first group of definitions usually refer to the signs and criteria of state democracy. structure, separation of powers, supremacy of parliament over the government, independence of the judiciary from the executive. authorities, elect. law and certain other legal guarantees proclaimed by constitutions. The authors of the definitions included in the second group highlight a system of abstract ethics. ideals, “moral prerequisites” (high moral qualities of figures, the ability to achieve progress, etc.) that regulate the behavior of members of society, and extend democracy not only to political, but also to economic, social and cultural relationships of people. The authors of the third group of definitions believe that D. includes legal and moral elements; they understand D. as the “way of life” of the people. Bourgeois ideologists and social reformists identify democracy with the bourgeoisie. parliamentarism, which in fact is political. a system that does not create the necessary conditions for the active participation of workers in politics. life. Marxist science does not view democracy as something absolute and frozen, constant and unchangeable. D. arose and developed under the influence of class struggle; the class essence and institutions of democracy, the degree of its application and its role in the class struggle changed. Therefore, we can talk about slave owners, feudal owners. and bourgeois types D. With victory, socialist. revolution, a new, higher type of democracy arose - socialist. D.D. and dictatorship - correlates. concepts. State in any form and at all levels of history. development is political. an instrument of dictatorship of one class or another. Dictatorship does not necessarily mean the destruction of democracy for the class that exercises it over another class, but it does necessarily mean the destruction or limitation of democracy for the class against which the dictatorship is directed. Burzh. D., for example, “in practice sometimes expresses the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie, sometimes the powerless reformism of the philistinism, subject to this dictatorship” (V.I. Lenin, Soch., 4th ed., vol. 28, p. 278). The dictatorship of the proletariat “combines violence against the bourgeoisie, i.e. the minority of the population, with the full development of democracy, i.e. truly equal and truly universal participation of the entire mass of the population in all state affairs and in all complex issues of the liquidation of capitalism" (V.I. Lenin, ibid., vol. 23, p. 13). Under the conditions of victorious socialism, when the remnants of the exploiting classes have been completely eliminated and the function of suppressing them has died out, Ch. socialist content D. as an instrument in the hands of the people for the construction of a new society finds its full manifestation. D. and state are not identical. concepts. States can be undemocratic and anti-democratic. These are, for example, despotic. monarchies in the era of slavery, absolute monarchies during the period of the decay of feudalism, fascist and semi-fascist states in the era of the general crisis of capitalism. D. is a type of state (bourgeois democratic republic, people's democratic republic, Soviet republic), which is characterized by official. recognition of the principle of subordination of the minority to the majority (see V.I. Lenin, ibid., vol. 25, p. 428). But democracy cannot be understood in isolation from the essence and role of the state; it should not be identified with the subordination of the minority to the majority. The state's recognition of the principle of subordination of the minority to the majority has different antagonistic meanings. social-economic formations and in the transition period from capitalism to socialism. The will of the majority can become valid. state by will only when determined. conditions related to the nature of ownership of the means of production and the class composition of society. For this it is necessary that the basic the instruments and means of production were not in the hands of an insignificant minority of members of society, but in the hands of the majority or the entire people. In antagonistic class formations - slaveholding, feudal and capitalist - private ownership of the tools and means of production dominates. This determines the character of societies. and state building and serves ch. the cause of the dominance of the exploiting minority and the subordination of the majority to it. The experience of history shows that the people cannot rule if they are economically driven. or non-economic by coercion, or at the same time by both methods they are forced to work for the exploitative minority. Socialist the revolution that triumphed in the USSR, and then in a number of other countries, turned the main tools and means of production in societies. own. Thanks to this, true democracy became possible. D. depends on the form of ownership and production. relationships and, in turn, influences them. “Any democracy, like any political superstructure in general (inevitable until the abolition of classes is completed, until a classless society is created), ultimately serves production and is ultimately determined by the production relations of a given society” (V.I. Lenin). , ibid., vol. 32, p. 60). For valid the dominance of the will of the majority is necessary for the class that actually implements the state. leadership of society, alone (or together with his allies) constituted the majority of the country's population. This condition of notes in capitalist. society, just as it did not exist in the eras preceding capitalism. This condition arises in the era of the dictatorship of the proletariat. For valid To identify and implement the will of the majority, it is necessary for the state to proclaim and guarantee the rights and freedoms of citizens, ensuring the implementation of this will in legislation, management and other forms of manifestation of the state. authorities. This condition is not present in any class-antagonistic. society. It is evident under the conditions of the dictatorship of the proletariat. Burzh. the state recognizes the principle of subordination of the minority to the majority and establishes certain policies. (parliaments, local governments, etc.) and legal. institutions (political freedom of citizens, equality of citizens under the law and before the law, etc.) in order to give their class will the appearance of a national one. will or will of the majority of the people. All sorts of statements from the bourgeoisie. ideologists about abstract freedom and equality without taking into account the nature of production. relations, the class composition of the population and the real balance of forces in the class struggle are a deception of the working people. Burzh. The state's formal recognition of universal freedom and equality covers up the factual one. lack of freedom and economic inequality of the vast majority of capitalist members. society and the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie. The bourgeoisie divides individual rights into human and citizen rights. The individual considered in connection with the so-called civil society, the bourgeoisie calls a person, and the same individual living and acting in politics. sphere, is called a citizen. This division of individual rights is caused by antagonistic. capitalist nature society and the character of the bourgeois. state, which represents and protects the interests not of society as a whole, but only of the selfish. interests of a minority of its members - the bourgeoisie. Modern bourgeois political Activists and theorists hypocritically talk about the sacredness and inviolability of human rights and freedoms. The fact that the goal of capitalism is deliberately hushed up. production is not the satisfaction of the material and cultural needs of man, but the extraction of capitalist. arrived. The widely organized reactionary campaign against the rights and freedoms won by the working people through many years of struggle is being left in the shadows. The term "D." imperialists denote the dominance of imperialism in international affairs. arena directed against peoples who are truly free or liberated from social and colonial slavery. Burzh. D. in different countries and in different historical periods. stages has varying degrees of development. Free competition usually corresponds to D. in politics. life of society, and capitalist. monopolies - a tendency towards political reactions along all lines. During the monopoly period. capitalism, class contradictions are exacerbated (see Imperialism). The working class unites everything democratic. forces that oppose anti-democratic. trends of capitalism. “That curtailed democracy and the limited social security that workers have under capitalism were achieved and maintained as a result of many years of sharp battles” (Foster W., The Superiority of World Socialism over World Capitalism, see “To Aid Political Self-Education,” 1958, No. 8, p. 66). The bourgeoisie, seeing a danger for itself in the development of democracy, is trying to nullify it by planting and using factual. privileges of the minority and, above all, such as the privileges of wealth, bourgeois. education, connections, as well as a direct rejection of D. The working class cannot be indifferent to the forms of domination of the bourgeoisie. The struggle for the establishment, preservation and expansion of democracy in capitalism. countries is of enormous importance for the course and outcome of the entire class struggle of the working masses. The outcome of the struggle in modern times. era depends on the relationship of class forces in capitalism. countries, on a cut of creatures. influence is exerted by the growing power of the world socialist. systems and the rise of national liberation. movements. Burzh. D., being a great historical. progress compared to feudal state, is nevertheless “a paradise for the rich, a trap and deception for the exploited, for the poor” (Lenin V.I. , Soch., 4th ed., vol. 28, p. 222). The socialist revolution radically changes the class essence and content of democracy and shifts the center of gravity from the formal recognition of rights and freedoms to the actual recognition. their feasibility (D. guarantees) and extends democracy not only to the political sphere. life, but also to all other spheres of society. life. Under capitalism, democracy is carried out exclusively in politics. region and comes down mainly to the democracy of elections to parliaments and local governments. Socialist the revolution establishes equality of rights for all workers, destroys social, national. and racial oppression, proclaims the right to work and rest, freedom of conscience in the sense of freedom of religion and anti-religion. propaganda, creates conditions for the free activity of numerous. society organizations of workers - parties, trade unions and other voluntary societies. All this means an unprecedented expansion of labor for workers. Under the dictatorship of the proletariat, democratic rights and freedoms are real and guaranteed. Contents socialist. D. is characterized by the constant and decisive participation of the broadest masses of the country's population in politics. life, in the management of the state, the equality of citizens and their real opportunity to enjoy democracy. rights and freedoms: freedom of speech, press, rallies and meetings, processions and demonstrations, active and passive elections. law, regardless of gender, national and race. Organization and activity of the socialist. state, communist parties and other associations of workers included in the system of the dictatorship of the proletariat are based on the principles of democratic centralism. The working class can implement its dictatorship only by relying on democracy. will introduce. establishment of a new higher type . The classics of Marxism gave a deep analysis of those presented. institutions, which were created by the Paris Commune of 1871. Lenin created the doctrine of Soviets, the fundamental feature of which he saw, in particular, in the fact that the deputies of the council, i.e. a kind of parliamentarians, “must work themselves, implement their own laws, check what happens in life themselves, answer directly to their voters” (ibid., vol. 25, p. 396). A necessary feature and obligatory. socialist condition D. in the period of transition from capitalism to socialism is the suppression of the resistance of the exploiters, the degree and forms of which are different in different countries and at different stages of their development and depend on Ch. arr. from the strength of resistance of the overthrown classes. Hence the variety of suppression methods. Moreover, none of them can be absolute. In the USSR, during the transition to socialism, the exploiters were deprived of the right to vote. right With the creation of the socialist society building Sov. the state switched to universal electorate. right. Lenin foresaw that in future socialists. revolutions will not necessarily involve depriving the bourgeoisie of political right In China and other countries. democracy got by without depriving the bourgeoisie of the vote. rights, except for that part of it that offered armed resistance to the new government. A socialist man. society has full rights in farms. life of society. He has in the sphere of production and distribution of material goods basic. rights: the right to work, to rest, material security in old age, in case of illness and disability, the right to personal property, the right to inherit it. Socialist state, attaching great importance to these socio-economic. rights, does not in any way diminish the role and importance of citizens’ freedoms in other spheres of life. Burzh. and right-wing socialist. the authors contrast socio-economic. rights and material security of socialist citizens. state their political freedom. Many of them consider the USA, England and certain other capitalist. country's political standard. D. For example, G. Stassen in the book. “Man was born to be free” (N. Stassen, Man was meant to be free, 1951) depicts the USA and England as bastions of politics. freedom of citizens. However, speaking about freedom of speech, press, personality, bourgeois. politicians and scientists are silent about such freedoms as the freedom of the people from exploitation, the freedom of workers from economic harm. crises, unemployment and poverty. There are no such freedoms in capitalism. countries. These freedoms are characteristic of socialist. society. Socialist D., which is a world-historical progress compared to the bourgeoisie. state and bourgeois. D., represents the full power and full rights of the working people, led by the working class. It differs in consistency. peacefulness. It opposes imperialism. wars, considers them as a grave crime. “The imperialist war,” wrote V.I. Lenin, “is a triple, one might say, negation of democracy (a – every war replaces “rights” with violence; b – imperialism in general is a negation of democracy; c – imperialist war completely equates republics with monarchies) , but the awakening and growth of the socialist uprising against imperialism is inextricably linked with the growth of democratic resistance and indignation" (Works, 4th ed., vol. 23, p. 13). Burzh. D., firstly, does not exclude international. capitalist policy monopolies, which are characterized by " cold war", preparation for a world war, military adventures, unheard of national-colonial oppression, strangulation and robbery of weak countries by "advanced" capitalist powers; secondly, it is used by capitalist monopolies against the working masses fighting for peace. Under the cover of protection D The bourgeois states carry out legislative, administrative, police and judicial measures directed against the movement of peace supporters, progressive organizations exposing preparations for a new world war, advocating the prohibition of atomic and hydrogen weapons.The struggle of the masses for D. , rights and freedoms are inextricably intertwined with the struggle for peace. Socialist democracy goes through a period of transition from capitalism to socialism in its development, a period of socialism and a gradual transition from socialism to communism. The pattern of its development is the expansion and strengthening, increasing material opportunities and guarantees of democracy and those freedoms and rights that flow from the power of the people.The 21st Congress of the CPSU (1959) noted that the period of extensive construction of communism in the USSR is characterized by the full development of socialism. D., the involvement of the broadest sections of the population in the management of all societies. affairs, increasing the role of societies. organizations in all areas of states, farms. and cultural life of the country, the gradual transfer of societies. organizations of a number of state functions, strengthening democratic guarantees. freedoms and human rights. Marxism-Leninism proceeds from the fact that D. as a political. the institution will die out under communism with the same inevitability as the state, “the functions of public administration will lose their political character and turn into direct people’s management of the affairs of society” (Khrushchev N.S., On the target figures for the development of the national economy of the USSR for 1959–1965 years, 1959, p. 119), but the principles of D. will not disappear, but will be transformed. Execution of societies. functions that will remain under communism (planned and organized distribution of labor, regulation of working hours, etc.) will be carried out on the basis of self-government of the working masses. In society In workers' organizations, complete D. will be the main beginning of their initiative. Lenin wrote that in communist society will be “really complete democracy, becoming a habit and therefore dying out... Full democracy is equal to no democracy. This is not a paradox, but the truth!” ("Marxism on the State", 1958, p. 55). Lit.: Marx K., Criticism of the Gotha Program, M., 1953; Engels F., The origin of the family, private property and the state, M., 1953; Lenin V.I., State and Revolution, Works, 4th ed., vol. 25; his, Theses and report on bourgeois democracy and the dictatorship of the proletariat on March 4 [at the First Congress of the Communist International on March 2–6, 1919], ibid., vol. 28; his, Proletarian Revolution and the renegade Kautsky, ibid.; his, Speech about deceiving the people with the slogans of freedom and equality on May 19 [at the First All-Russian Congress on Extra-School Education on May 6–19, 1919], ibid., vol. 29; his, Marxism about the state, M., 1958; Khrushchev N.S., On the target figures for the development of the national economy of the USSR for 1959–1965. Report at the extraordinary XXI Congress of the CPSU on January 27, 1959, M., 1959; Declaration of the Meeting of Representatives of Communist and Workers' Parties of Socialist Countries, held in Moscow on November 14–16, 1957, M., 1957; Mao Tse-tung, On the Dictatorship of People's Democracy, 1949; About people's democracy in European countries. Sat. articles, M., 1956; Peskov E. B. and Shabad V. A., Socialist democracy and its “critics”, M., 1957; Shkadarevich I. I., Democracy of Millions, M., 1958; Kadlecová E., Socialisticke vlastenectví, 1957; Bystřina I., Lidová demokracie, Praha, 1957; Flegle A., Geschichte der Democratie, Bd l – Altertums, Nürnberg, 1880; Glover T. R., Democracy in the Ancient World, Camb., 1927; Croiset A., Les démocraties antiques, P., 1909; Lesku W. E. Η., Democracy and Liberty, v. 1–2, L., 1908; Ruggiero G. de, Storia del liberalismo europeo, Bari, 1925; Borgeaud S., The rise of Modern Democracy in Old and New England, L., 1894; Hattersley, Alan F., A short History of Democracy, Camb., 1930, containing bibliography; Allen J. W., A history of Political Thought in the Sixteenth Century, L., 1928; Figgis J. N., Studies of Political Thought from Gerson to Grotius, 2 ed., L.–Edin., 1916; Gooch G. P., English Democratic Ideas in the Seventeenth century, 2 ed., Camb., 1927. A. Denisov. Moscow.

Philosophical Encyclopedia. In 5 volumes - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia. Edited by F.V. Konstantinov. 1960-1970.

DEMOCRACY DEMOCRACY (from the Greek δημοκρατία - democracy) is a form of government in which popular rule of the majority of the population is carried out in the interests of the majority and with the help of the majority. The first democratic state system was implemented in Ancient Greece in Athens under Solon (7th century BC) and developed by Cleisthenes (late 6th century BC) in his “representative government” - the Council of Five Hundred. The term “democracy” itself began to be used to designate the form that existed in Athens political system later, around mid. 5th century Initially, the word “isonomia” (Ισονομία - equality of all before the law) and related “isegoria” (?σηγορία-the equal right for all citizens to speak in the people’s assembly and cast a vote), “isocracy” (?σοκρατία-autonomy) were used. Ancient authors (Plato, Aristotle, Herodotus) considered this form of government as a polis system, in which only free native citizens have full and equal rights. Metics (semi-citizen migrants) had significantly limited rights, and slaves had no rights at all. The democratic freedoms of modern times are significantly wider than the freedoms of the ancient republic, based on slavery, because they become the formal right of everyone, and not the privilege of a few. The idea of ​​subordinate legislation for all citizens, state and public organizations received particular development in the concept of democracy by A. de Tocqueville, the most influential in modern socio-political research. Tocqueville understood by “democracy” not only a certain form of organization of society. In his opinion, this is also a process taking place in society. Tocqueville was the first to warn about the danger of combining formal equality and absolute power - “democratic despotism.” The philosophical basis of democracy is the relationship between freedom and equality as socio-political values, the real embodiment of which occurs in the relevant state institutions of democracy - direct or representative. The latter is now most common in the form of a rule of law state with its supreme power, which, however, does not extend to the inseparable and inalienable rights of the individual. The guarantee of individual rights in such a state is the separation of powers - legislative, executive and judicial, decentralization of power in the socio-economic and cultural spheres (the theory of “institutional infrastructure” of authorities). At the same time, democratic associations - civil and political - take upon themselves the protection of the rights of citizens. They become intermediaries between the central government and various layers of society, representing the interests of the latter, and defend the inalienable right of citizens to independence and free initiative, which is subordinate to law. Freedom of the press and trial by jury also contribute to the real implementation of human rights in society. According to the theorists of democracy of the 20th century. (for example, I. Schumpeter and W. Rostow), liberal universal values ​​such as respect for the individual and equality of all people, freedom of speech and press, freedom of conscience, etc. etc., are best ensured precisely through expanding the participation of the masses in political life. R. Dahl and C. Lindblom, using the category of “polyarchy,” conduct a more realistic analysis of existing democratic systems, leaving aside abstract democratic ideals. The real implementation of democracy is significantly complicated by the progressive concentration of economic power in modern society in the hands of the “ruling elite,” which creates an oligarchic model of power and politics, often turning from democracy into kleptocracy. Lit.: Dahl R. Introduction to the theory of democracy. M., 1991; Leipmrt A. Democracy in multi-component societies. M„ 1997; Novgorodtsev P.I. The crisis of modern legal consciousness. M., 1909; Political science: new directions. M., 1999; Tocqueville A. De. Democracy in America. M„ 1992; Schumpeter I. Capitalism, socialism and democracy. M„ 1995; Halt P. R. Governing the Economy: The Politics of Stale Intervention in Britain and France. Cambr., 1986: Huffman G. State, Power and Democracy. Brighton, 1988; f/ordlmser E. n the Autonomy of the Democratic State. Cambr., 1981. V. I. Shamshurin

New Philosophical Encyclopedia: In 4 vols. M.: Thought. Edited by V. S. Stepin. 2001.

Democracy: concept, principles, types and forms. Signs of democracy

For quite some time now, the literature has repeatedly expressed the idea that democracy will naturally and inevitably be a consequence of the development of statehood. The concept was interpreted as a natural state that will occur immediately at a certain stage, regardless of the assistance or resistance of individuals or their associations. Ancient Greek thinkers were the first to use the term. Let us further consider in detail what democracy is (basic concepts).

Terminology

Democracy is a concept introduced by the ancient Greeks. Literally it means "power of the people." It is a form of government that presupposes the participation of citizens in it, their equality before the law, and the provision of certain political freedoms and rights to the individual. In the classification proposed by Aristotle, this state of society expressed the “power of all,” which distinguished it from aristocracy and monarchy.

Democracy: concept, types and forms

This state of society is considered in several meanings. Thus, democracy is a concept that expresses the way of organization and work of government agencies and non-governmental organizations. It is also called the established legal regime and type of state. When they say that a country is democratic, they mean the presence of all these meanings. The state has a number of distinctive features. These include:

1. Recognition of the people as the supreme source of power.
2. Election of key government bodies.
3. Equality of citizens, first of all, in the process of exercising their voting rights.
4. Subordination of the minority to the majority in decision-making.

Democracy (the concept, types and forms of this institution) has been studied by various scientists. As a result of analysis of theoretical principles and practical experience, thinkers came to the conclusion that this state of society cannot exist without the state. In the literature, the concept of direct democracy is highlighted. It involves the implementation of the will of the people through elected bodies. These are, in particular, local government structures, parliaments, etc. The concept of direct democracy presupposes the implementation of the will of the population or specific social associations through elections, referendums, and meetings. In this case, citizens independently decide certain issues. However, that's not all external manifestations that characterize democracy. The concept and types of institution can be considered in the context of certain spheres of life: social, economic, cultural, and so on.

State character

Many authors, explaining what democracy is, characterize the concept and features of this institution according to a certain system. First of all, they indicate belonging to the state regime. This is manifested in the population delegating their powers to government agencies. Citizens participate in the management of affairs directly or through elected structures. The population cannot independently exercise all the power that belongs to it. Therefore, it transfers part of its powers to government agencies. The election of authorized structures is another manifestation of the state nature of democracy. In addition, it is expressed in the ability of the authorities to influence the activities and behavior of citizens, to subordinate them to manage the social sphere.

The concept of political democracy

This institution, like a market economy, cannot exist without competition. In this case we are talking about a pluralistic system and opposition. This is manifested in the fact that democracy, the concept and forms of the institution, in particular, form the basis of the programs of parties in their struggle for state power. In this state of society, the diversity of existing opinions and ideological approaches to solving pressing issues is taken into account. In democracy, state censorship and dictatorship are excluded. The legislation contains provisions guaranteeing pluralism. These include the right to choose, secret voting, etc. The concept and principles of democracy are based, first of all, on the equality of voting rights of citizens. It gives the opportunity to choose between different options and directions of development.

Guarantee of rights implementation

The concept of democracy in society is associated with the legal opportunities of each citizen in different spheres of life, enshrined at the legislative level. In particular, we are talking about economic, social, civil, cultural and other rights. At the same time, responsibilities for citizens are established. Legality acts as a regime of socio-political life. It manifests itself in the establishment of requirements for all entities, primarily government agencies. The latter must be created and act on the basis of steady and strict implementation existing standards. Each government agency and official should have only the necessary amount of powers. Democracy is a concept that is associated with the mutual responsibility of citizens and the state. It involves establishing a requirement to refrain from actions that violate freedoms and rights and create obstacles to the fulfillment of duties by participants in the system.

Functions

Explaining the concept of democracy, it is necessary to separately say about the tasks that this institution implements. The functions are the key directions of influence on social relations. Their goal is to increase the activity of the population in managing public affairs. The concept of democracy is associated not with a static, but with a dynamic state of society. In this regard, the functions of the institution in certain periods of historical development underwent certain changes. Currently, researchers divide them into two groups. The first reveal the connection with social relations, the second – express the internal tasks of the state. Among the most significant functions of the institute are:

Social relations

The connection with them is reflected in the first three functions mentioned above. Political power in the state is organized on democratic principles. Within the framework of this activity, self-organization of the population (self-government) is provided. It acts as a source of state power and is expressed in the presence of appropriate connections between subjects. The regulatory-compromise function is to ensure pluralism of the activities of participants in relations within the framework of cooperation, consolidation and concentration around the interests of the population and the state of various forces. The legal means of ensuring this function is the regulation of the legal statuses of the subjects. In the process of developing and making decisions, only democracy can have a socially stimulating influence on the state. The concept and forms of this institution ensure optimal service of the authorities to the population, taking into account and applying public opinion and citizen activity. This is manifested, in particular, in the ability of citizens to participate in referendums, send letters, applications, and so on.

State tasks

The concept of “representative democracy” is associated with the ability of the population to form bodies of state power and territorial self-government. This is done through voting. Elections in a democratic state are secret, universal, equal and direct. Ensuring the work of government agencies within their competence in accordance with the requirements of the law is carried out through the implementation of the control function. It also presupposes the accountability of all levels of the country's governing apparatus. One of the key functions is considered to be the protective function of democracy. It involves government agencies ensuring security, protection of dignity and honor, freedoms and personal rights, forms of ownership, suppression and prevention of violations of the law.

Initial requirements

They represent the principles on which a democratic regime is based. Their recognition by the international community is determined by the desire to strengthen their anti-totalitarian position. The key principles are:

Ways to implement the will of the population

The functions of democracy are carried out through its institutions and forms. There are quite a lot of the latter. Forms of democracy are considered as its external expression. The key ones include:

1. Participation of citizens in the management of social and government affairs. It is realized through representative democracy. In this case, power is exercised by identifying the will of people authorized by the people in elected bodies. Citizens can participate in government directly (through a referendum, for example).
2. Creation and operation of a system of government agencies based on transparency, legality, turnover, election, and division of powers. These principles prevent abuse of social authority and official position.
3. Legal, first of all, constitutional consolidation of the system of freedoms, duties and rights of citizens and people, ensuring their protection in accordance with established international standards.

Institutes

They represent legal and legitimate components of the system that directly form a democratic regime through the implementation of initial requirements. A prerequisite for the legitimacy of any institution is its legal design. Legitimacy comes from public recognition and organizational structure. Institutions may differ in their original purpose in solving current government problems. In particular, they distinguish:

1. Structural institutions. These include deputy commissions, parliamentary sessions, etc.
2. Functional institutions. They are orders from voters, public opinion, etc.

Depending on their legal significance, institutions are distinguished:

Self management

It is based on the independent regulation, organization and activities of participants in civil relations. The population sets certain rules and norms of behavior, carries out organizational actions. The people have the right to make decisions and implement them. Within the framework of self-government, the subject and object of activity coincide. This means that participants recognize the power of only their own association. Self-government is based on the principles of equality, freedom, and participation in administration. This term is usually used to refer to several levels of association of people:

1. To the whole society as a whole. In this case we talk about public self-government.
2. To individual territories. In this case, local and regional self-government takes place.
3. To specific productions.
4. To public associations.

People's power as a social value

Democracy has always been understood and interpreted in different ways. However, there is no doubt that as a legal and political value it has become an integral component of the organization of the world. Meanwhile, there is no final stage at which all its subjects would be satisfied. A person who experiences restrictions enters into a dispute with the state without finding justice in the legislation. Conflict arises when inequality of merit and natural abilities is not taken into account, there is no recognition depending on experience, skill, maturity, etc. The desire for justice cannot be fully satisfied. In society there must be a constant awakening of the will, the development of the desire to express one’s opinions, views, and be active.
The intrinsic value of democracy is expressed through its social significance. It, in turn, consists of serving the benefit of the individual, the state, and society. Democracy helps to establish correspondence between the actually operating and formally proclaimed principles of equality, freedom, and justice. It ensures their implementation in the state and social life. The system of democracy combines public and power principles. It contributes to the formation of an atmosphere of harmony of interests of the state and the individual, and the achievement of compromise between subjects. In a democratic regime, participants in relations realize the benefits of partnership and solidarity, harmony and peace. The instrumental value of an institution is manifested through its functional purpose. Democracy is a way of solving state and public affairs. It allows you to participate in the creation of government agencies and local government structures, independently organize movements, trade unions, parties, and provide protection from illegal actions. Democracy presupposes control over the activities of elected institutions and other subjects of the system. The personal value of an institution is expressed through the recognition of individual rights. They are formally enshrined in regulations and are actually ensured through the formation of material, spiritual, legal and other guarantees.
Within the framework of a democratic regime, responsibility is provided for failure to fulfill duties. Democracy does not act as a means of achieving personal ambitious goals by infringing on the freedoms, interests, and rights of others. For those people who are ready to recognize the autonomy of the individual and his responsibility, this institution creates the best opportunities for the implementation of existing humanistic values: social creativity, justice, equality and freedom. At the same time, the participation of the state in the process of providing guarantees and protecting the interests of the population is also of undoubted importance. This is its main function in a democratic society.

What is a democratic state?

The term “democracy” was first used in the work of the Greek historian Herodotus. American President Abraham Lincoln defined this concept as the power of the people, which he elects and in whose interests it is exercised. To understand what a democratic state is, one should consider its main features, principles and functions.

Definitions of the term "democracy"

Today, legal science and political science give several definitions to the concept of “democracy”:

1. Special shape organization of the state in which power belongs to all its citizens, who enjoy equal rights to govern.

2. The design of any structure. It is based on the principles of equality of its members, periodic election of governing bodies and decision-making by majority vote.

3. Social movement with the aim of establishing the ideals of democracy in life.

4. A worldview based on the principles of freedom, equality, respect for human rights and national minorities.

A democratic state is the embodiment of the power of the people. At the same time, citizens have equal rights to govern, and the government acts in their interests.

Signs of a democratic state

1. Recognition of popular sovereignty. Citizens of democratic states are the supreme bearers of power.

2. The possibility of participation of the entire people (and not part of the population) in managing affairs in society and the country directly or through representative bodies.

3. The presence of a multi-party system. Competitive, fair and free elections in which all citizens participate. At the same time, the same people should not be in power for a long time.

4. Recognition and guarantees of fundamental human rights. For this purpose, special legal institutions must function to prevent lawlessness.

5. Political freedom and equality of citizens before the courts.

6. Availability of self-government systems.

7. Mutual responsibility of the citizen and the state.

1. Pluralism in all spheres of public life. In economics, it is embodied in the presence of various forms of ownership and economic activity. In politics, pluralism manifests itself through a multi-party system, and in the field of ideology - through the free expression of thoughts, concepts and ideas.

2. Freedom of speech. This principle includes transparency of the activities of all political subjects. All this must be ensured by freedom of the media.

3. A democratic state presupposes the subordination of the minority to the majority when making any decisions.

4. Selectivity of state and local authorities.

5. Guarantees of the rights of national minorities, prevention of discrimination on any basis.

6. Existence and free functioning of the political opposition.

7. Power in a democratic state must necessarily be divided (legislative, executive and judicial).

What is the rule of law?

For the first time, R. von Mohl was able to analyze and justify this concept from a legal point of view. He determined that a democratic rule of law state is based on enshrining in the constitution the rights and freedoms of citizens and ensuring their protection by law and court. It should be noted that initially not all scientists recognized the reality and possibility of implementing this concept. Until now, some researchers have noted the weakness of the foundations for this form of statehood, in particular in the post-Soviet space.

This concept is characterized by the recognition of the supremacy of law over power. It is recognized that:

1) priority of the individual and society over the state;
2) the reality of the rights and freedoms of every citizen;
3) mutual responsibility of the state and the individual;
4) independence and authority of the court;
5) the connection of power with law.

What is a welfare state?

In the history of the formation of the concept of a social state, three main stages can be distinguished. The first is characterized by the adoption in various countries of political decisions that paved the way for its formation. At this stage, the concept of a “democratic social state” first appeared in the works of Prance and Shershenevich. Its definition was formulated by Heller in the 20th century. In addition, at this time, social policy began to stand out in the field of internal policy of the state.

The second stage is the beginning–middle of the 20th century. This period is characterized by the emergence of two traditions of affirmation social model states. The first as a collective concept was implemented in Germany, the second as a fundamental principle of the constitutional system - in France and Spain.

The third stage is the formation of social law. At this time, special documents appear regulating relations in this area.

Signs of a welfare state

1. A democratic state with a developed civil society. Availability of an effective legal system.

2. Availability of a legal basis. It comes in the form of social legislation that meets the principles of justice and quickly responds to changes in society.

3. Availability of a balanced economic framework. It appears in the form of a developed socially oriented market economy.

4. The state takes care of the protection of fundamental civil rights.

5. Guarantees of social security of the country's population. At the same time, citizens, thanks to their activity, provide themselves with the necessary level of financial standing.

6. Social assistance from the state to the population who are not able to provide for themselves.

7. Strengthening stability in the country. The activities of the state are aimed at minimizing property differentiation.

Democratic, authoritarian and totalitarian states

The opposite of a democratic state is an authoritarian and totalitarian one. The following signs should be highlighted:

1. Power is concentrated in the hands of one person or group of people. They, speaking on behalf of the state or society, act solely in their own interests and do not take into account the opinions of the majority.

2. In the work of government bodies, methods of pressure and dictate are used.

3. The scope of human rights and freedoms depends on the ruling persons and can be changed at any time.

4. There is no delimitation of powers between branches of government. The same body can make laws and control their implementation.

Characteristics of the main forms of government

To understand who is the supreme bearer of power in a democratic state, it is necessary to consider the features of the two forms of government.

Monarchy. On the political map of the world there are several states with this form of government. These are constitutional (parliamentary) monarchies: Great Britain, Belgium, Spain, Norway, Japan and Sweden. They are democratic states. The power of the monarch in these countries is significantly limited, and parliaments deal with the main issues of public life.

Republic. There are several types of states with this form of government.

A parliamentary republic is characterized by the priority of the highest legislative body. Among such countries are Germany, Greece, Italy. The government in these states is formed by parliament and is responsible only to it.

In a presidential republic, the head of state is elected by the people. He himself forms the government with the consent of parliament.

Implementation of the principles of a democratic state using the example of Russia

Russia is a democratic state. This is stated in the country's Constitution. Representative democracy in Russia is ensured by the election of the State Duma and the legally determined formation of the Federation Council. In addition, the country implements such a feature of a democratic state as guarantees and recognition of fundamental human rights and freedoms.

Russia by its structure is a constitutional and legal federation. This means that individual parts of the country (territory) have a certain independence. The subjects of such a federation have equal rights.

Russia is a democratic state that provides guarantees of human rights and freedoms, implements the principle of ideological and political diversity, etc.

What is democracy??

★ Carmen ₱uis

Democracy (ancient Greek δημοκρατία - “power of the people”, from δῆμος - “people” and κράτος - “power”) is a political regime based on the method of collective decision-making with equal influence of participants on the outcome of the process or on its significant stages. Although this method is applicable to any social structure, today its most important application is the state, since it has great power. In this case, the definition of democracy is usually narrowed to one of the following:
*The appointment of leaders by the people they govern occurs through fair and competitive elections;
*The people are the only legitimate source of power;
*Society exercises self-government for the common good and satisfaction of common interests.
Popular government requires ensuring a number of rights for every member of society. A number of values ​​are associated with democracy: legality, political and social equality, freedom, the right to self-determination, human rights, etc.

Democracy (ancient Greek δημοκρατία - “power of the people”, from δῆμος - “people” and κράτος - “power”) is a political regime based on the method of collective decision-making with equal influence of participants on the outcome of the process or on its significant stages Although this method is applicable to any social structure, today its most important application is the state, since it has great power.

Democracy (ancient Greek δημοκρατία - “power of the people”, from δῆμος - “people” and κράτος - “power”) is a political regime based on the method of collective decision-making with equal influence of participants on the outcome of the process or on its significant stages....

Veronica Anina

Democracy (ancient Greek δημοκρατία - “power of the people”, from δῆμος - “people” and κράτος - “power”) is a political regime based on the method of collective decision-making with equal influence of participants on the outcome of the process or on its significant stages Although this method is applicable to any social structure, today its most important application is the state, since it has great power. In this case, the definition of democracy is usually narrowed to one of the following:
The appointment of leaders by the people they govern occurs through fair and competitive elections [approx. 1]
The people are the only legitimate source of power
Society exercises self-government for the common good and satisfaction of common interests

Popular government requires ensuring a number of rights for every member of society. A number of values ​​are associated with democracy: legality, equality, freedom, the right to self-determination, human rights, etc.

Since the ideal of democracy is elusive and subject to varying interpretations, many practical models have been proposed. Until the 18th century, the most well-known model was direct democracy, where citizens exercise their right to make political decisions directly, through consensus, or through procedures for the subordination of the minority to the majority. In a representative democracy, citizens exercise the same right through their elected deputies and other officials by delegating to them some of their own rights, while the elected leaders make decisions taking into account the preferences of those led and are responsible to them for their actions.

One of the common goals of democracy is to limit arbitrariness and abuse of power. This goal has often failed to be achieved where human rights and other democratic values ​​were not generally accepted or effective protection from the legal system. Today, in many countries, democracy is identified with liberal democracy, which, along with fair, periodic and general elections of the highest authority in which candidates freely compete for the votes of the people, includes the rule of law, the separation of powers and constitutional limits on the power of the majority through guarantees certain personal or group freedoms. On the other hand, some left-wing movements believe that the exercise of the right to make political decisions requires ensuring social rights and low levels of socio-economic inequality.

A number of authoritarian regimes had external signs of democratic rule, but in them only one party had power, and the policies pursued did not depend on the preferences of voters. Over the past quarter of a century, the world has been characterized by a trend towards the spread of democracy. The relatively new problems facing it include separatism, terrorism, and population migration. International organizations such as the UN, OSCE and EU assume that control over the internal affairs of a state, including issues of democracy, is partly within the sphere of influence of other countries.

"Democracy" is translated as "power of the people" or "democracy". We haven’t had it for 20 years now, due to the fact that democracy in Russia is only possible in a socialist form. Because other capitalist “elected” people can easily gain a foothold in power and they’ll leave.

a political system in which power legally belongs to the people and the freedom and equality of citizens is proclaimed. There was slaveholding, feudal, bourgeois, and socialist democracy. It differs from authoritarian and totalitarian regimes by the formal recognition of the equality of all before the law, the proclamation of political rights and freedoms within the framework of the country's Constitution, the election of representative bodies of power, universal suffrage, and respect for human rights.

Excellent definition

Incomplete definition ↓

DEMOCRACY

Greek dnmokratia, literally - the power of the demos, i.e. the people, democracy) - one of the forms of the state, in which power is either formally legal (in exploitative states), or legally and actually (in states socialist type) belongs to the people, as well as societies. and state system, characterized by a set of definitions. rights and freedoms of citizens. First encountered in Herodotus, the term "D." established itself (as a designation of one of the forms of the state) and passed into the science of modern times from Aristotle. The first type of D. was the slave owner. D., which existed in a number of the most economically developed ancient Greek. policies (later, already in the 19th century, the term military democracy appeared in science to characterize the social system of the era of the decomposition of primitive communal relations and the emergence of a class society). The most striking example of ancient slave ownership. D. is state. building of Athens 5-4 centuries. BC. (see Athens Ancient). The supreme authority in Athens was the people. an assembly (ekklesia) that met ca. 40 times a year. The council (boule) actually played the role of a commission that prepared draft decisions of the ecclesia. All officials were accountable to the ecclesia and were most often chosen by lot. An important part of Athens. D. there was a trial by jury (helium). For the performance of various positions, incl. for participation in helium, and at one time for presence on the people. At the meeting, poor citizens received a small fee. This entire system ensured widespread participation of even the poorest male citizens in the management of the state. However, not only the huge mass of slaves, but also thousands of free Greeks from other Hellenic cities who permanently resided in Attica were deprived of their rank. political right Despite the class. limited slave ownership. D. - D. privileged minority - D.'s victory in Athens played a huge role in the economics. and the cultural flourishing of Athens in the 5th-4th centuries. BC. Democratic the device existed in many Greek policies, especially those that were part of the Athenian sea. union (see Arche of Athens). However, in general, slavery was not a typical form of slave ownership. state For the era of feudalism, D. is even less typical. Only elements of D. existed in some European countries. Middle-century cities, where, as a result of guild uprisings against the patriciate, participation in the mountains. Relatively wide layers of artisans came into administration (but only rich craftsmen penetrated into the city government bodies, and a guild oligarchy was established). Formally democratic. the republic was the Novgorod feudal republic; The highest authority here was the veche, in which all adult husbands could participate. population and even free peasants from surrounding villages. In the department districts and in special conditions (underdevelopment of feudal relations, preservation of the community, etc.) elements of primitive democratic continued to exist. organizations (for example, certain Swiss communities, the social structure of the Cossacks). Anticipation of certain bourgeois principles. D. appears during the Reformation of the 16th century. - in the republic form of organization of Calvinist communities (with the election of pastors by believers). But the broad problem of D. as a form of politics. power arose for the first time in the era immediately preceding the early bourgeoisie. revolutions, and practically - during the revolutions themselves. A reflection of the division within the bourgeoisie and the degree of closeness of its various layers to the people was the different assessment of D. French. political writers of the 18th century: for some (for example, P. Holbach) democracy is an undesirable, “bad” form of government, others (J. J. Rousseau) are supporters of the broadest democracy. Rousseau, as the most brilliant theorist of democracy of that period when the bourgeoisie was a rising class, proclaimed that the entire state belongs to the people. sovereignty - only the general will of the people has the right to create laws and establish government; he is a supporter of the so-called. "immediate D." (i.e., one where the entire people exercises power directly, and not through representative institutions). At the end of 18 - 1st quarter. 19th centuries in conditions of serfdom. autocratic Russia is especially clearly plural. democratic the principles were formulated by Radishchev in Pestel's "Russian Truth". The first revolutionaries bourgeois political manifestos and constitutions - Amer. Declaration of Independence 1776, French. Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen (1789), French. The constitutions of 1791 and especially 1793 are imbued with the ideas of the people. sovereignty and contractual origin of state. authorities. In the bourgeoisie state-wah feud. class-represent. institutions gave way to new ones. bodies created to participate in legislation and control over government; the rights of the head of state were precisely defined and limited by the articles of the constitution; were proclaimed and enshrined in political constitutions. rights and freedoms of citizens (personal integrity, religious freedom, freedom of speech, press, etc.). All this was a big step forward in comparison with the feud. state and feud. society We are building. However, D., born a revolutionary. the struggle of the masses turned out to be not “general democracy,” but only a class, a bourgeoisie. D. - form of political domination of the bourgeoisie. In practice, depending on the ratio of class. forces in one country or another in the bourgeoisie. state-wahs established one or another degree of D. (countries of the “classical” bourgeois. D. 19th century - England, as well as the USA, Switzerland), but always D. bourgeois - limited, curtailed and formal, with many reservations and exceptions aimed at preventing active participation in politics. life of broad sections of the people. Burzh. political thought created a huge apologetic. literature, not only extolling the bourgeoisie. D., but most importantly - falsifying its true essence (for example, the French "democratic school" of the 19th century - A. Tocqueville "Democracy in America", Lamartine "Parliamentary France"; John Stuart Mill - "On Liberty", " Representative board", etc.). For bourgeois apologists. D. the announcement of the bourgeoisie is especially characteristic. D. by a supra-class state, “pure” D., “D. for all”, recognition as a mandatory attribute of D. protection of the “sacred right of property” (the latter clearly reveals the bourgeois essence of these theories). In the ranks of modern defenders of the bourgeois D. there are also right-wing Social-Democrats. leaders. V. I. Lenin subjected to devastating criticism the bourgeois reformist views on democracy ("State and Revolution", "Proletarian Revolution and the Renegade Kautsky" and other works of Lenin). He showed that in a society divided into classes, one can only talk about class. D., remaining even in the most “democratic.” exploitative state is only D. for the minority, D. for the exploiters, which is bourgeois. Democracy remains “inevitably narrow, secretly repelling the poor, and therefore completely hypocritical and deceitful,” he debunked the bourgeois-liberal opposition between democracy and dictatorship, showing that the bourgeois. D. is only the most thinly veiled form of dictatorship of the bourgeoisie. At the same time, Lenin emphasized that the form of the bourgeoisie is not indifferent to the proletariat. state that he should use burzh. D. to unite and protect their interests. “We are for a democratic republic, as the best form of state for the proletariat under capitalism, but we have no right to forget that wage slavery is the lot of the people even in the most democratic bourgeois republic” (Works, vol. 25, p. 370). The era of imperialism is characterized by the transition of the bourgeoisie to politics. reactions along all lines, incl. curtailment of D. Imperialist. The bourgeoisie is seeking expansion of the executive. power at the expense of parliament, actually. transfer to the government of legislators. powers, is attacking democracy. rights and freedoms, and during the period of the general crisis of capitalism, in some cases, completely eliminates democracy in a number of states, establishing fascism. dictatorship or other forms of authoritarian regime. At the same time, the influence of the world socialist system and the struggle of the working people are forcing monopoly. the bourgeoisie to make certain concessions, to take steps towards a certain expansion of democracy. rights and institutions. At the same time, the bourgeoisie is strengthening. propaganda seeking to disguise the dictatorship of monopoly. bourgeoisie under “general democracy,” under the “welfare state.” Widely advertising supposedly democratic. the character of his elect. systems, monopolistic The bourgeoisie, using such powerful means as capital, the press, radio, cinema, television, imposes its candidates on voters. But in the most dangerous times for politicians. imperialist domination bourgeoisie moments it replaces the bourgeoisie. D. to his open dictatorship. The deepest revelation of the bourgeoisie. D. serves as the establishment of the 1933 fascism. dictatorship in bourgeois-democratic Germany. In historical the period when the bourgeoisie was mainly progressive class, the establishment of democracy was part of the tasks of the bourgeois revolutions. At the end of the 19th century - the beginning. 20th centuries the problem of the struggle for democracy was posed by Lenin in a new way: even in a revolution whose content was bourgeois-democratic. The character and role of the vanguard and hegemon in the struggle for democracy should belong to the working class - only it can bring the bourgeois-democratic to the end. revolution and thereby provide the necessary prerequisites for socialism. revolution. Lenin's ideas about the meaning of democracy. transformations in the struggle for socialism were further developed in modern times. conditions in international documents. communist movement (in the Statement of the Meeting of Representatives of Communist and Workers' Parties in 1960, the CPSU Program of 1961 and other communist parties). In modern conditions where there is a monopoly. capital is more and more clearly revealing its anti-democracy essence, the connection between the struggle for democracy and the struggle for socialism is becoming even closer. Basic content of general democratic the struggle becomes a struggle against capitalism. monopolies, while playing a decisive role in the development of modern. mass antimonopolistic democratic movements plays the creation of a system of class unions, the ability of the proletariat and its party to unite the various social strata suffering from the oppression of monopolies, on the basis of common democratic demands. In modern conditions, the struggle for democracy, led by the working class and its parties, cannot consist only in the defense of existing democracies. freedoms and institutions. Capitalist Communist Party countries put forward the slogan of uniting all democratic, anti-monopoly. forces to fight against the omnipotence of monopolies - for the revival, development and renewal of democracy as a stage for the transition to socialism. revolution and the establishment of a new type of democracy - socialist. D. The struggle for D. is considered as an integral part of the struggle for socialism; their unbreakable bond unites both with the struggle against imperialism and with the struggle for peace. The struggle for D. is one of the most pressing problems in the development of young nationalities. states freed from colonial dependence. The Communist Parties of these countries emphasize that the struggle for national liberation and social progress cannot be completed without the development of democracy, without the democratization of all societies. and state life. They advocate the formation of a state of national democracy, opening up the prospects of non-capitalism. development ways. Highest form D. is a socialist D. Already the Parisian workers, who fought on the barricades during the June uprising of 1848 under the slogan “Long live the democratic and social republic,” essentially expressed their desire to establish a new, not bourgeois, but socialist. D. This desire became scientific. expression in the “Manifesto of the Communist Party” of Marx and Engels, who first connected the concept of democracy with socialism. revolution, the destruction of private property and the establishment of the dictatorship of the proletariat: “... the first step in the workers’ revolution is the transformation of the proletariat into the ruling class, the conquest of democracy” (Works, 2nd ed., vol. 4, p. 446). Lenin, following Marx ("The Civil War in France") in analyzing the lessons of the Paris Commune of 1871, saw in its political establishments the prototype of the new socialist. D. and more specifically - the prototype of one of its forms - the power of the Soviets (see "State and Revolution"). Socialist D., born in a fierce class. struggle, did not hide behind itself, like the bourgeoisie. D., with the hypocritical slogan “D. for all,” but openly proclaimed that this D. of the transition period will at the same time be the dictatorship of the proletariat. “Democracy for the gigantic majority of the people and suppression by force, that is, exclusion from democracy of the exploiters, oppressors of the people - this is the modification of democracy during the transition from capitalism to communism” (V.I. Lenin, Soch., vol. 25, p. 434). Lenin showed, therefore, that the fundamental difference between socialist. D., even at its very origin, is that it represents D. for the overwhelming majority, that it involves the broadest masses of working people in the management of the state. Socialist D. exists in the form of a republic of Soviets and in the form of people's democracy. The current constitutions are socialist. state (see Constitution of the USSR, Constitutions of foreign socialist states) are enshrined in legislation fundamentally. democratic principles: sovereignty of the people; universal elect. right; proclaim the fundamental democratic freedom: speech, press, meetings and rallies, street processions and demonstrations, conscience, personal integrity; the rights of citizens: to work, to education, to rest, to material support in old age, in case of illness or loss of ability to work, etc. Thus, socialist. D. includes not only the “old”, traditional political. freedom (receiving a fundamentally new content), but also many others. completely new - social - rights. Socialist D. provides freedom from exploitation for the first time. D. represents the objective demand of the socialist. building, because societies. ownership of the means of production presupposes society. people management economics, the building of socialism is possible only thanks to the involvement of the people. masses to manage the affairs of the society. Socialist D., in contrast to the bourgeoisie, not only proclaims the rights of the people, but also guarantees their actual implementation. Socialist Since its inception, D. has been subjected to fierce attacks from the bourgeoisie. and reformist ideologists. Socialist The state is portrayed by them as anti-democratic, “totalitarian”, “dictatorial” (with these concepts they unite both socialist and fascist regimes that have deeply compromised themselves); as the ideal of “complete” and “unlimited by anything” D. socialist. the state is opposed to you by the bourgeoisie. D., "free world" (or "Western world"). Public and political system The anti-communist right-wing socialist and reformist press contrasts the socialist states with a certain “liberal”, “democratic.” socialism (which in reality turns out to be only a slightly embellished capitalism); "democratic socialism" has become official. modern doctrine right-wing socialists. Socialist D. is a developing phenomenon. Its mechanism takes shape as the new system strengthens; its development does not always occur “in a straight line.” Thus, in the USSR, with the victory of socialism, social prerequisites for the further development of socialism arose. D. This was reflected in the Constitution of 1936 (the abolition of restrictions on voting rights according to the class principle, the introduction of general and equal elections, etc.). However, under the conditions of Stalin’s personality cult, the development of the Soviet Union. D. slowed down. During this period, such a gross violation of D. took place as a violation of socialism. legality. The cult of personality was fundamentally contrary to socialism. D., he caused enormous damage to it (although he could not change the deeply democratic essence of the socialist system). The struggle to overcome the harmful consequences of the cult of personality, which unfolded after the 20th Congress of the CPSU (1956), is at the same time a struggle to restore Leninist party norms. and state life, for the development of socialism. D. With the completion of the development of the state dictatorship of the proletariat into a national one. State proletarian D. has turned into a national one. D. The course for further broad development of socialism. D. is associated with the entry of the USSR into the period of extensive construction of communism. This is reflected in the legislation. acts and part. documents from the 50s and 60s. (primarily in new Program CPSU (1961)) and in state practice. construction (increasing the role and intensifying the activities of Soviets and public organizations, expanding the rights of the union republics, changing the forms and methods of management of industry, construction and agriculture, expanding the circle of elected officials, periodically updating the composition of representative bodies, consistent . exercise of the right to recall deputies, national discussion of the most important state laws and regulations, organization of broad popular control, etc.). Comprehensive development of socialism. D. is Ch. direction of development of socialist statehood during the construction of communism. In the process of further development, socialist. D. will occur, the CPSU Program indicates, a gradual transformation of state bodies. authorities into the bodies of societies. self-government. D. as a form of state is gradually dying out, giving way to D. as a form of non-political. organization of society. See also State. Lit. (except for the index in the article): Communists and democracy (exchange of views), "PMiS", 1963, NoNo 4-7; Duclos J., The Future of Democracy, trans. from French, M., 1963; Chernyaev A.S., Causes and character of modern times. democratic movements in countries of developed capitalism, "NNI", 1961, No. 5; Pavlov V.I., Redko I.B., State National. democracy and the transition to non-capitalist. development, "NAiA", 1963, No. 1; Democracy and communism. Questions of the communist theory of democracy. Sat. Art., M., 1962. See also lit. at Art. State. S. F. Kechekyan. Moscow.

The people, the generally recognized rights and freedoms of man and citizen. A democratic state is the most important element of democracy in a civil society based on the freedom of people. The source of power and legitimation of all bodies of this state is the sovereignty of the people.

Sovereignty of the people means that:

• the subject of public power, both state and non-state, is the people as the totality of the entire population of the country;
• the object of the sovereign power of the people can be all those social relations that are of public interest on a national scale. This feature testifies to the completeness of the sovereign power of the people;
• The sovereignty of the power of the people is characterized by supremacy, when the people act as a single whole and are the only bearer of public power and the exponent of supreme power in all its forms and specific manifestations.

Subject of democracy may act:

• separate, their associations;
• government bodies and public organizations;
• people in general.

In the modern understanding, democracy should be considered not as the power of the people, but as the participation of citizens (people) and their associations in the exercise of power.

The forms of this participation can be different (membership in a party, participation in a demonstration, participation in the elections of the president, governor, deputies, in filing complaints, statements, etc., etc.). If the subject of democracy can be either an individual person or a group of people, as well as the entire people, then the subject of democracy can only be the people as a whole.

The concept of a democratic state is inextricably linked with the concepts of a constitutional and legal state; in a certain sense, we can talk about the synonymy of all three terms. A democratic state cannot help but be both constitutional and legal.

A state can meet the characteristics of a democratic state only in the conditions of an established civil society. This state should not strive for statism, it should strictly adhere to the established limits of interference in economic and spiritual life, which ensure freedom of enterprise and culture. The functions of a democratic state include ensuring the general interests of the people, but with unconditional respect and protection of the rights and freedoms of man and citizen. Such a state is the antipode of a totalitarian state; these two concepts are mutually exclusive.

The most important features of a democratic state are:

1. real representative democracy;
2. ensuring the rights and freedoms of man and citizen.

Principles of a democratic state

The basic principles of a democratic state are:

1. recognition of the people as the source of power, the sovereign in the state;
2. existence of the rule of law;
3. subordination of the minority to the majority when making decisions and implementing them;
4. separation of powers;
5. election and turnover of the main bodies of the state;
6. public control over security forces;
7. political pluralism;
8. publicity.

Principles of a democratic state(in relation to the Russian Federation):

• The principle of respect for human rights, their priority over the rights of the state.
• The principle of the rule of law.
• The principle of democracy.
• The principle of federalism.
• The principle of separation of powers.
• Principles of ideological and political pluralism.
• The principle of diversity of forms of economic activity.

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Ensuring human and citizen rights and freedoms a is the most important feature of a democratic state. It is here that the close connection between formally democratic institutions and the political regime is manifested. Only in a democratic regime do rights and freedoms become real, the rule of law is established and the arbitrariness of the state's security forces is eliminated. No lofty goals or democratic declarations can give a state a truly democratic character if the generally recognized rights and freedoms of man and citizen are not ensured. The Constitution of the Russian Federation has enshrined all the rights and freedoms known in world practice, but conditions still need to be created for the implementation of many of them.

A democratic state does not deny coercion, but presupposes its organization in certain forms. This is prompted by the essential duty of the state to protect the rights and freedoms of citizens, eliminating crime and other offenses. Democracy is not permissiveness. However, coercion must have clear limits and be carried out only in accordance with the law. Human rights bodies not only have the right, but also the obligation to use force in certain cases, but always acting only by legal means and on the basis of the law. A democratic state cannot allow the “loosening” of statehood, that is, failure to comply with laws and other legal acts, or ignoring the actions of state authorities. This state is subject to the law and requires law-abiding from all its citizens.

The principle of democracy characterizes Russian Federation as a democratic state (Article 1 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation). Democracy presupposes that the bearer of sovereignty and the only source of power in the Russian Federation is its multinational people (Article 3 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation).

The principle of federalism is the basis of its state-territorial structure of the Russian Federation. It contributes to the democratization of government. Decentralization of power deprives the central bodies of the state of a monopoly on power and gives individual regions independence in resolving issues of their lives.

The fundamentals of the constitutional system include the basic principles of federalism that determine the state-territorial structure of the Russian Federation. These include:

1. state integrity;
2. equality and self-determination of peoples;
3. unity of the system of state power;
4. delimitation of subjects of jurisdiction and powers between government bodies of the Russian Federation and government bodies of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation;
5. equality of subjects of the Russian Federation in relations with federal government bodies (Article 5 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation).

The principle of separation of powers- acts as a principle of organizing state power in a legal democratic state, as one of the foundations of the constitutional system. Is one of fundamental principles democratic organization of the state, the most important prerequisite for the rule of law and ensuring the free development of man. The unity of the entire system of state power presupposes, on the one hand, its implementation on the basis of division into legislative, executive and judicial, the bearers of which are independent bodies of the state (Federal Assembly, Government of the Russian Federation, courts of the Russian Federation and similar bodies of the constituent entities of the federation).

The principle of separation of powers is a prerequisite for the rule of law and ensuring the free development of man. The separation of powers, therefore, is not limited to the distribution of functions and powers between various government bodies, but presupposes mutual balance between them so that none of them can gain dominance over the others and concentrate all power in their own hands. This balance is achieved by a system of “checks and balances”, which is expressed in the powers government agencies allowing them to influence each other and cooperate in solving the most important state problems.

Principles of ideological and political pluralism. Ideological pluralism means that ideological diversity is recognized in the Russian Federation; no ideology can be established as state or mandatory (Article 13, Part 1, 2 of the Constitution).

The Russian Federation is proclaimed a secular state (Article 14 of the Constitution). This means that no religion can be established as state or compulsory. The secular nature of the state is also manifested in the fact that religious associations are separated from the state and are equal before the law.

Political pluralism presupposes the presence of various socio-political structures functioning in society, the existence of political diversity, and a multi-party system (Article 13, Parts 3, 4, 5 of the Constitution). The activities of various citizen associations in society influence political process(formation of government bodies, adoption of government decisions, etc.). A multi-party system presupposes the legality of political opposition and promotes the involvement of wider sections of the population in political life. The Constitution prohibits only the creation and activities of such public associations, the goals or actions of which are aimed at violently changing the foundations of the constitutional system and violating the integrity of the Russian Federation, undermining the security of the state, creating armed groups, inciting social, racial, national and religious hatred.

Political pluralism is freedom of political opinion and political action. Its manifestation is the activity of independent associations of citizens. Therefore, reliable constitutional and legal protection of political pluralism is a necessary prerequisite not only for the implementation of the principle of democracy, but also for the functioning of the rule of law state.

The principle of diversity of forms of economic activity implies that the basis of the Russian economy is a social market economy, which ensures freedom of economic activity, encouragement of competition, diversity and equality of forms of ownership, and their legal protection. In the Russian Federation, private, state, municipal and other forms of property are equally recognized and protected.

At the latest count, as of 2017, there are 251 countries in the world. They all differ from each other in size, in population and their nationality, in the form of government and in the degree of development. But one of the most important characteristics of the state, on which the entire way of life of the population depends, is the political regime. It is he who determines the methods and forms of management that will dominate the country.

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There are only three main political regimes:

• A totalitarian regime, also called totalitarianism, is that the state controls all spheres of life. The authorities rely on force, any opposition is prohibited, and the leader is exalted.
• An authoritarian regime is characterized by a slightly “softer” rule of power. At the helm is a group of people or one person who has unlimited power, but at the same time certain civil and economic freedoms of citizens are already allowed. Authoritarianism is more soft shape totalitarian regime.

The most common political regime around the world, which is followed by many states, is democracy . In this regime, first place is placed freedom and rights of citizens. In short, the main principle of democracy is that society is given a huge amount of freedoms and rights, including the right to fully participate in the life of the state.

Signs of democracy

Each political regime has characteristics distinctive features, which are their essence. Democratic form of government is no exception. It has several features that set it apart from other methods of governance and which define what democracy is.

• The word itself means the power of the people. It is the people who are with her the main and only source of power.
• The people elect government representatives - deputies. Society does this in only one way - fair, open, free elections.
• Power is not elected once and for all: a distinctive feature of democracy is that deputies are elected for a certain and not so long term, after which elections will take place again.
• Equality of rights for any person is another feature of this regime. Every person has rights, which it can defend with the help of independent mechanisms - courts.
• The entire state structure, the entire state apparatus is not concentrated in a narrow group of people - it is divided into branches of power: legislative, judicial and executive.
• If under totalitarianism the opposition was suppressed and destroyed in every possible way, then democracy in this matter is radically different - the opposition operates freely, expresses his dissatisfaction, organizes processions, political demonstrations, rallies and other forms of expression of protest and disagreement.
• Media independent from the state, which freely report on what is happening in the country, are the basis of a democratic system.

The whole essence of democracy lies in the power of the people - votes, referendums, demonstrations at which society expresses its demands, preferences, disagreement, and so on.

Important! Democracy does not guarantee rights and freedoms to absolutely all citizens. For example, a person who has violated any law will have to be punished in the form of restrictions on these same rights and freedoms.

Forms of democracy

There are two forms of this political regime: direct and representative democracy. What is the difference? Let's figure it out.

Main distinctive features are hidden in their name. The direct form of democracy is characterized by the fact that government, that is, power, is exercised directly by the people through voting and referendums.

For a better understanding, let’s give an example: it was proposed to adopt a certain law in the state. In order to decide whether this law will be adopted, a referendum is organized in which everyone votes for or against the adoption of a new bill. Most important issues are resolved in direct democracy in this or similar ways.

Representative democracy is fundamentally different. The previous example with a new bill is also suitable: the decision to accept or reject the new bill will be made by deputies who were elected by the people through free and fair elections.

The main difference seems to be clear, but each of the forms has its own pros and cons: under the dominance of the first form, people make decisions themselves, but not all of them are well acquainted with jurisprudence, with laws, with all the subtleties and nuances of such cases. In the second form the power of the people is limited, because he chooses those who will make decisions, and does not make them himself. In this case, there may be a lot of dissatisfied people.

Functions of democracy

Any method of government performs certain functions for the normal existence of the country and its prosperity. Democracy pursues several objectives:

• The first and most important is considered to be the protective function. Society in a modern developed state is given guarantees of security, compliance with laws, protection of the dignity, honor, rights and freedoms of any citizen.
• The organization and formation of the state as an apparatus, as a system of central government bodies and local self-government bodies through fair and free elections is performed by the constituent function.
• The organizational-political function guarantees that the people are the only and permanent source of power.
• The regulatory function provides correct work all necessary entities to ensure the rights and freedoms of citizens.

Only when all the described functions are performed can it be said that a democratic regime prevails in the state.

Pros and cons of democracy

Each mode reflects both positive and negative sides, because ideal options do not exist. With all the progress that democracy brings, it has disadvantages that in one way or another affect the life of society.

Despite all the rather significant disadvantages that appear in democracy, the advantages have a much greater impact on the life of society in a positive direction.

Important! It should be remembered that when asked who democrats are, one should not answer that they are residents of countries with such a regime. Democrats are supporters of a political direction who defend the principles of democracy.

Modern democracies

To clearly examine the impact of democracy on the life of society, let’s take the democratic countries that have achieved the greatest success.

• Switzerland is one of the most economically developed countries. Its residents are rich, amenities are at the highest level, and medicine, education and other necessary structures Switzerland is equal to the whole world. Democracy is a political system that was established here a long time ago.

• The second largest country in the world by area is Canada, is also one of the most economically developed countries in the world. GDP per capita is extremely high, that is, the standard of living of the population is very well developed. Here the institutions of democracy work for the benefit of society. In addition, Canada has an unusually low crime rate, as well as excellent...

• New Zealand is located in the southwest Pacific Ocean and is another democratic country. A very developed economy, a low crime rate - New Zealand, where democracy reigns, can boast of all this.

• Greece is not just another state with a democratic regime, but a state where democracy was born. It was in Ancient Greece that citizens were first allowed to elect “high officials.” This country is one of the developed countries with a rapidly growing GDP.

What is democracy, its types, pros and cons

Democracy, examples of countries

Conclusion

Democracy is flourishing in many countries of the world, and in most of them there is a significant improvement in life, increasing GDP, developing education, medicine and other areas of society. The democratic regime is the most progressive of all existing ones, because what is more valuable to a person than life and its security, freedom of choice and guarantee of rights.

A political system that gives citizens the right to participate in political decision-making and elect their representatives to government bodies.

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DEMOCRACY

DEMOCRACY) In ancient Greek society, democracy meant government by citizens, as opposed to rule by a tyrant or an aristocracy. In modern democratic systems Citizens do not rule directly; they usually elect their representatives to parliament through a competitive party system. Democracy in this sense is often associated with the protection of individual freedoms from government interference. There are several stages in the history of sociological research on democracy. Many concepts of democracy developed in the 19th century, such as that of A. de Tocqueville, focused on the social consequences of allowing traditionally subordinate groups greater political participation, a theme subsequently developed by theorists of mass society. More recent work has explored the relationship social development and parliamentary democracy. Researchers have tried to link democracy to the degree of industrialization, the level of educational achievement and the amount of national wealth. It was noted that democracy naturally more supported high level industrial development, ensuring wider participation of the population in politics. Other approaches have focused on the question of how trade union democracy can lead to bureaucracy, and on the relationship between democracy and citizenship. There is currently debate about whether modern democracies truly represent the interests of their citizens or protect individual freedoms. Some state theorists argue that Democrats serve only the interests of the elite or capitalist class. See also: Associational Democracy; Vote; Citizenship; Voluntary organizations; Industrial Democracy; Capitalism; Michels; Political parties; Political participation; Elite. Lit.: Dahl (1989); Pierson (1996)

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