TRENDS, NETWORKS & CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS IN 21ST CENTURY (HSS700)

UNIT II:
CHAPTER IV: DEMOCRATIC INTERVENTIONS

Lesson Objectives:
At the end of the lesson, the learners should be able to:
 Identify preferred democratic practices;
 Explain and analyse the reason for their preferences;
 Illustrate the benefits of democratic participation;
 Explain the importance of participation in democracy;
 Distinguish/differentiate participatory from representative democracy;
 Generate the criteria to assess prevailing political and social institutions; and
 Conceptualize/formulate what can be a viable alternative to undemocratic practices.

Motivational Activity:
Write a short response about the quote:
“It is true that we are called a democracy, for the administration is in the hands of the many and
not the few.” -Pericles
“Yes, Pericles, but have you gotten a load of the many?” – Socrates
Thucydides. History of Peloponnesian War
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DEMOCRATIC INTERVENTIONS
Athens Greece- widely credited with the creating the world’s s Greece- first democracy.
Democracy according to Plato- Greek word for “people” demos and “rule” kratia.
Greek Democracy- political power is not concentrated in the hands of one or even a small group
of people but fairly and evenly distributed among all the people.
Assembly- comprised of no less than the first 6,000 citizens to arrive at its meeting.
*The fall of Athens was followed by the emergence of Rome.
Legal System- Rome’s biggest contribution to democracy which codified key concepts like
equal protection, innocent until guilty, and the right to confront one’s accuser.

Ideology
- set of ideas that tries to link through action.
- a fairly coherent and comprehensive set of ideas that explains and evaluate social conditions,
help people understand their place in society, and provides a program for social and political
action.

Functions of Ideology
1. Explanatory- offers an explanation of why social, political, and economic conditions are as
they or, particularly in times of crisis.
2. Evaluate- to supply standards for evaluating conditions.
3. Orientative- an ideology supplies its adherent with an orientation and a sense of identity of
who he or she is.
4. Programmatic- tells its followers to do and how to do it. It performs a programmatic and
prescriptive function by setting out a general program of social and political action.

Human Nature
Some ideologies assume that it is the "nature" of human beings to compete with one another
in hopes of acquiring the greatest possible share of scarce sources; others hold that people are
"naturally" inclined to cooperate with one another and to share what they have with others. Still,
other ideologies take it for granted that human beings have a natural racial consciousness that
compels them to associate with their own kind and to avoid with other races.
Freedom
-refers to a relationship involving an agent who is both free from some obstacle and free to
achieve some goal.

MacCallum 3 Features Conception of Freedom:

1. AN AGENT- is the person or group that is or should be free but an agent is not simply free; to
be free, an agent must be free to pursue a goal
2. A BARRIER OR OBSTACLE BLOCKING THE AGENT- no one can be free when there are
obstacles that prevent him or her from doing what he or she wants to do
3. A GOAL AT WHICH THE AGENT AIMS- “freedom” refers to a relationship involving an
agent who is both free from some obstacle and free to achieve some goal

Origin of Democracy

Democracy- began in ancient Greece

- for Greeks demokratia meant specifically "rule or government by the common people“
Demos or Majority (Single class)- uneducated, unsophisticated, and poor- these people made
up the majority of the citizenry.
Aristocracy- rule by the aristoi, the "best" those supposedly most qualified to rule or to govern.
Athens- the largest polis.
- Athenians called their polis a democracy.
Pericles- the most famous leader of the Athenian democracy.
*Aristocrats believed that only the well-established citizens, were wise enough to govern.
*Pericles and the Democrats believed that most citizens were capable of governing if only they
could afford to take the time away from their farms and work.

To be a Citizen of Athens
 Adult
 Free
 Male Athenian
Excluded
 Women
 Resident foreigners
 Slaves
Three Conceptions of Democracy
1. Liberal Democracy- stresses the rights and liberty of the individual and it is the form of
democracy that characterizes most Western democracies.
2. Social Democracy- linked to the ideology of Socialism.
- from "social democratic" or "democratic socialist" perspective, the key
to democracy is equality, especially equal power in society and government.
3. People's Democracy- consist of rule by the communist party for the benefit of the
working majority.

Core Democratic Characteristics

1. Government in which power or civic responsibility are exercised by all adult citizens or
through their freely elected representatives.
2. Rest upon the principles of majority rules and individual rights.
3. Understand that one of their prime functions is to protect such basic human rights.
4. Conduct regular free and fair elections open to citizens of voting age.
5. Democratic societies are committed to the values of tolerance, cooperation, and
compromise.

Democratic Practices
1. Majority Rule and Minority Rights- democracies are systems in which citizens freely make
political decision by majority rule. Majority rule must be coupled with guarantees of individual
human rights that in turn, serve to protect the rights of minorities and dissenters whether in
ethnic, religious, or simply the losers in political debate.
2. Pluralism and Democratic Society
• Pluralism- government is only one thread in
the social fabric of many varied public and private institutions, legal forums, political parties,
organizations, and associations.
• Democratic Society- have the thousands of
Private organizations, some local, and some national.
3. Speech, Assembly, and Protest- freedom of speech and expression especially about political
and social issues, is the lifeblood of many democracy.
4. Religious Freedom and Tolerance- all citizens should be free to follow their conscience in
matters of religious faith.
5. Citizen Responsibilities- for democracy to succeed, citizens must be active, not passive,
because they know that the success or failure of the government is their responsibility.
6. Elections- serve as the principal mechanism for translating that consent into governmental
authority.
7. Equal Adherence to Law- democratic governments exercise authority by way of the law and
are themselves subject to the laws constraints.
8. Due Process- every state must have the power to maintain order and punish criminal acts, but
the rules and procedures by which the state enforces its laws must be public and explicit, not
secret, arbitrary, or subject to political manipulation and they must be the same for all.

Importance of Democratic Participation

Citizen's participation is a process which provides private individuals an opportunity to
influence public decisions and to be a component of the democratic decision-making process.
 • Enrich and renew democracy
• Help promote sustainable political decision actions, and policy by recognizing and
communicating the needs and interest of all involved.
• Strengthen understanding and action for human rights and have a positive impact on
efforts to eradicate poverty and hunger and to achieve international development goals.
• Empower and protect citizens and realize the fundamental democratic right of
participation.
• Promote people's well-being and development of their skills.
• Ensure and increase active members of political parties which are vital organizations in a
strong democracy.
• Promote peace and foster transitions to democracy.

Participatory and Representative Democracy

Representative Democracy- a process involves an electorate selecting and voting on political
candidate/ or political parties who in turn make policy.
Participatory Democracy- (direct democracy) puts policy responsibilities directly in the hands
of citizenry.
- allows citizens to prioritize what is important to them rather than relying on representatives to
address issues for them and decide what is important.

Rights Responsibilities
You have the right to: It is your duty to:
Say what you think Inform yourself (so you can make reasoned
choices)
Join with other people Vote
Express your references Have political conversations
Call for change Respect other people’s views
Become a representative Stay engaged