2 October 2016SS 30 Political Systems - How Democracies Work 1 Political Systems How Democracy Works

2 October 2016SS 30 Political Systems - How Democracies Work 2 Democracy 4 Review Political Systems Introduction 4 Democracy 4 Consideration Questions 4 Unit Packs 4 Consideration Questions 4 What is the difference b/w representative and direct democracy? 4 What are the characteristics of representative democracy?

2 October 2016SS 30 Political Systems - How Democracies Work 3 I.The Democratic System i.In a democracy: a.decisions are made by majority with respect for minority rights. b.there is free and open competition for power c.those who are elected are accountable to the voters.

2 October 2016SS 30 Political Systems - How Democracies Work 4 The Democratic System “It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.” – Winston Churchill

2 October 2016SS 30 Political Systems - How Democracies Work 5 II.Conditions of Democracy i.Popular Sovereignty: rule by the people. This requires: a.Periodic Elections: Must have elections often. Example: In Canada, an election must be called every 5 years. The Government may call them more frequently than this. In the USA, elections are held every 4 years. b.Secret Ballots- election must be free from intimidation and bribery.

2 October 2016SS 30 Political Systems - How Democracies Work 6 Conditions of Democracy c.Universal Suffrage: everyone has the right to vote (franchise) All people allowed to run for office d.Independent judiciary – court systems and judges are beyond the control of the government as they are often called upon to make decisions that go against the government. This requires the Rule of Law: all people are equal under the law.

2 October 2016SS 30 Political Systems - How Democracies Work 7 Conditions of Democracy e.Power of the Purse – the raising and spending of all money must originate with the elected representatives of the people. f.Political Parties – a collection of like minded people who wish to form the government. They provide the people with choice, and ensure their wishes are met through the competitive election process.

2 October 2016SS 30 Political Systems - How Democracies Work 8 Conditions of Democracy g.Interest groups (lobby groups, pressure groups) – try to influence government legislation by ‘educating’ elected representatives. e.g. SADD h.Free Press – democracy is based on the free exchange of ideas. A media free of political interference ensures that the electorate is educated about the issues. A modern concern is that the media is becoming concentrated in the hands of a few people who can then set an agenda.

2 October 2016SS 30 Political Systems - How Democracies Work 9 III. Constitutional Monarchy i.Constitutional Monarchy a.A political system in which there is a King/Queen who must follow the rules of a Constitution b.Constitution: a set of rules that the government and the people of a country must follow. The people of the country set these rules

2 October 2016SS 30 Political Systems - How Democracies Work 10 IV. How Democracies Work i.In all forms of democracy, people are allowed to vote. ii.There are two general types of democracy based on how voting is used: a.Direct Democracy: people vote on every issue (referendum) Direct Democracy is used in small countries, not designed for big countries

2 October 2016SS 30 Political Systems - How Democracies Work 11 How Democracies Work b.Representative Democracy: People vote for a person to represent them in government. These representatives vote for the people’s wishes in government. These representatives represent a specific group of people called a constituency.

2 October 2016SS 30 Political Systems - How Democracies Work 12 How Democracies Work For Example drawing: Alberta is divided into 28 constituencies. There is one representative for each constituency. These representatives go off to Ottawa. 1.Representation by Population: the more people in a region the more representatives in Ottawa.

2 October 2016SS 30 Political Systems - How Democracies Work 13 V. Problems with Democracy i.Certain factors prevent control of the government by the people: a. Voter Apathy – many voters do not participate for a number of reasons: 1. a lack of understanding of the issues 2. the idea that they cannot make a difference 3. the idea that all politicians are corrupt 4. inability to communicate in English or French 5. lack of resources (poverty)

2 October 2016SS 30 Political Systems - How Democracies Work 14 Problems with Democracy b.Tyranny of the Majority: When one group of people get what the want at the expense of the minority In Democracy, the majority always get what they want, this could create the situation where the majority step on the minority To protect the rights of minority groups, the gov’t must create laws 1.Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms 2.American Bill of Rights

2 October 2016SS 30 Political Systems - How Democracies Work 15 Problems with Democracy c.Lobby Groups – have more time, money and expertise than individuals which gives a disproportionate influence on government. Example: The National Rifle Association (NRA) in the US have managed to prevent nearly all attempts to limit access to guns. They are very organized and determined and give large sums of money to representatives who support their views.

2 October 2016SS 30 Political Systems - How Democracies Work 16 Problems with Democracy d.Power of Bureaucracy – a bureaucrat is a civil servant. They are un-elected, permanent employees who have expertise in the department they run. They provide advice to the cabinet minister in charge and often control the flow of information and can have great influence. Some feel that the real power in government lies with the deputy ministers.

2 October 2016SS 30 Political Systems - How Democracies Work 17 Problems with Democracy e.Party Discipline – In Canada, if the government loses an important vote the government must resign and an election is then held. Members of Parliament who do not vote with their party are usually kicked out. For that reason MPs almost always vote according to the wishes of their party. Because of this, the wishes of the MPs constituents are often ignored. Leads people to believe Canada elects a dictator every 5 years.

2 October 2016SS 30 Political Systems - How Democracies Work 18 Problems with Democracy ii. Often, in democracies, it is mainly the rich and educated who participate in politics. As a result, these elite groups tend to get what they want.

2 October 2016SS 30 Political Systems - How Democracies Work 19 Democracies- Terms 4 Party Discipline 4 Constitutional Monarchy 4 Constitution 4 Representative Democracy 4 Direct Democracy 4 Representation by Population 4 Constituency 4 Voter Apathy 4 Lobby Groups 4 Tyranny of the Majority 4 Power of the Purse 4 Independent Judiciary 4 Free Press 4 Periodic Elections 4 Popular Sovereignty 4 Rule of Law