Democracy: An Analysis

Winston Churchill once remarked that “democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried”. In agreement with his statement, this paper will examine the problems of democratic governments using specific examples, and compare it to the failure of fascist governments in Nazi Germany and Italy and communist governments in the Soviet Union and China.

Theoretically, democracy is a stable form of government where power is in the hands of the people. In a democracy, people have the liberty to elect officials that best represent their interests, and political institutions exist as a result: Benjamin Constant argues in The Liberty of the Ancients Compared with that of the Moderns that “true modern liberty is individual liberty” and that “political liberty is its guarantee”. (Constant, pg. 10) Liberty, then, is a requirement of democracy.

However, despite the premise of popular participation in politics, recent years have seen a decline in voter turnout during elections. (Wong, Lecture, October 24) This may be the result of a general lack of interest or, more likely, a loss of trust in politicians. Modern democracy is intended to be representative, yet it seems that corruption and political domination by the upper class have resulted in public disillusionment in politics. In India, for example, polls have shown that the majority prefers democracy, but the level of trust in elected officials is very low due to wealth-based campaigning, nepotism, and lack of transparency (Sen, pg. 90) in the election system. Thus it can be said that in democratic countries where corruption is prevalent, democracy can be undermined by an undemocratic system.

The principles of democracy can also be undermined when equality ...

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...shown to be more stable and permanent than other forms of government that have been tried.

History has seen society progress from feudalism, absolutism, and other forms of government to democracy, and the failure of communist and fascist states has led countries back to democracy or some form of it as well. Although the system has its flaws, it is the best-equipped to handle the rapid modernization of a nation’s economy and society. In contrast, fascism and communism are not feasible options socially, economically, or politically. The resulting totalitarian regimes of Hitler and Mussolini and the failure of the Soviet Russian and Chinese models during the height of communism provide a clear example of why.

Thus, it can be said that Winston Churchill’s statement that “democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried” is true.