ESSAY To what extent has the nature of power in Western liberal

To what extent has the nature of power in Western liberal democratic states changed in recent decades In your answer, ex - Essay Example Modern democracy can be dated from the late 18th century although medieval Poland and some states of the Greek cities had democratic aspects. Democracy as the rule by people. In order for a country to be considered democratic, it should choose its leaders using competitive and fair elections. It should adhere to the constitution and ensure fundamental civil liberties. While some analysts assert that a democracy needs to have a strong civil society, civic culture, and capitalist economy, others do not include these criteria when defining democracy. Democratization is therefore the process by which a country adopts such a regime as defined above. This means that when a country is democratized, it is democratic. It also means that every other person is entitled to his or her opinion regarding matters that concern governance. Unlike dictatorial regimes where one voice speaks and others follow, in democratic regimes it is the voices of the majority rule. This means that in case of electio ns or matters that bring disagreement, every person is given an opportunity to stand by what he or she thinks is the right option. As stated above democratization is a relatively recent practice. In the early days, monarchs ruled nations. These were kings and queens and in some cases, the church. The king’s word was final. ... There however seems to be little agreement among political analysts regarding how the process of democratization occurs, including the criteria used to ascertain if democratization has indeed occurred. Many countries adopt democratic governments only to watch them collapse through military coups and other revolts that lead to authoritarian regimes. The first pointer is that citizens should be able to govern themselves by conducting regular elections, which determine their top leaders periodically. This is referred to as representative democracy. These regular elections also serve as avenues through which policies that govern the people are chosen. An example is the voting process which determines if a constitution is to be passed or not through a referendum. Secondly, the right to vote is accorded to all adults. This however has been a recent addition since governments that were referred to as democratic not so long ago used to exclude women, slaves, and free males who did not meet c ertain literacy or property requirements. If a country restricts this franchise from the voting process, then it cannot be considered as democratic. A perfect example is the apartheid regime in South Africa whereby the only people who voted were minority whites. The third indicator is the acceptance of democratic rights. These particular rights include the right to contest for the highest office, the right to have everyone’s vote count equally, the right to vote and the right to create and form political parties and groups. Then there is a law, which is above the state. All authorities on the particular country should adhere to this law. It provides the framework for democratic rule and protects the democratic rights of the people. Therefore,