direct democracy

Examples of direct democracy in the following topics:

• Democratic Governments

  • Several variants of democracy exist, but there are two basic forms, both of which concern how the whole body of citizens executes its will: direct democracy and representative democracy .
  • Direct democracy is a form of democracy in which people vote on policy initiatives directly.
  • Two leading forms of direct democracy are participatory democracy and deliberative democracy.
  • The earliest known direct democracy is said to be the Athenian Democracy in the 5th century BCE, although it was not an inclusive democracy; women, foreigners, and slaves were excluded from it.
  • As a result, they advocated a representative democracy in the form of a constitutional republic over a direct democracy.

• Democracy

  • One form of democracy is direct democracy, in which citizens have direct and active participation in the decision making of the government.
  • While there is no universally accepted definition of "democracy," equality and freedom have both been identified as important components of democracy since ancient times.
  • Democracy, however, does not necessarily guarantee a good government.
  • Athenian democracy took the form of a direct democracy, and it had two distinguishing features: the random selection of ordinary citizens to fill the few existing government administrative and judicial offices, and a legislative assembly consisting of all Athenian citizens.
  • The United States is an example of a Presidential Democracy – a Presidential Democracy is a system where the public elects the president through free and fair elections.

• Popular Consent, Majority Rule, and Popular Sovereignty

  • Popular sovereignty is thus a basic tenet of most democracies.
  • The "sovereign" is the rule of law, ideally decided on by direct democracy in an assembly.
  • Explain the significance of popular sovereignty and the consent of the governed for liberal democracy

• Types of Elections

  • A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal, usually a piece of legislation which has been passed into law by the local legislative body and signed by the pertinent executive official(s) .
  • Similarly, a recall election is a procedure by which voters can remove an elected official from office through a direct vote before his or her term has ended.
  • Recalls, which are initiated when sufficient voters sign a petition, have a history dating back to the ancient Athenian democracy and are a feature of several contemporary constitutions.

• Non-Democratic Governments: Authoritarianism, Totalitarianism, and Dictatorship

  • Unlike democracy, authoritarianism and totalitarianism are forms of government where an individual or a single-party concentrates all power.
  • For Friedrich and Brzezinski, the defining elements were intended to be taken as a mutually supportive organic entity composed of the following: an elaborating guiding ideology; a single mass party, typically led by a dictator; a system of terror; a monopoly of the means of communication and physical force; and central direction, and control of the economy through state planning.
  • In this sense, dictatorship (government without people's consent) is a contrast to democracy (government whose power comes from people) and totalitarianism (government controls every aspect of people's life) opposes pluralism (government allows multiple lifestyles and opinions).

• Jacksonian Democrats: 1824–1860

  • Jacksonian democracy is the political movement toward greater democracy for the common man typified by American politician Andrew Jackson.
  • Jacksonian democracy is the political movement toward greater democracy for the common man typified by American politician Andrew Jackson and his supporters.
  • Jackson's policies followed the era of Jeffersonian democracy which dominated the previous political era.
  • It can be contrasted with the characteristics of Jeffersonian democracy.
  • The Whigs were the inheritors of Jeffersonian Democracy in terms of promoting schools and colleges.

• The General Election Campaign

  • Major campaigns in the United States are often much longer than those in other democracies.
  • Late in the campaign, campaigns will launch expensive television, radio, and direct mail campaigns aimed at persuading voters to support their candidate.
  • Identify the features that distinguish American elections from those in other democracies

• Non-Democratic Governments: Monarchy, Oligarchy, Technocracy, and Theocracy

  • In later times, aristocracy was usually seen as rule by a privileged group, the aristocratic class, and contrasted with democracy.
  • Unlike systems such as democracy, plutocracy is not rooted in a political philosophy and has no advocates; the term is only used in a pejorative sense.
  • Theocracy essentially means rule by a church or analogous religious leadership; a state in which the goal is to direct the population towards God and in which God himself is the theoretical "head of the state".

• Dual Federalism: From the Civil War to the 1930s

  • The theory originated within the Jacksonian democracy movement against the mercantilist American system and centralization of government under the Adams administration during the 1820s.
  • President Jackson used the theory as part of his justification in combating the national bank and the Supreme Court moved the law in the direction of dual federalism.

• The Modern Political Campaign

  • In democracies, political campaigns often refer to electoral campaigns, where representatives are chosen or referendums are decided .
  • Major campaigns in the United States are often much longer than those in other democracies.
  • Late in the campaign, campaigns will launch expensive television, radio, and direct mail campaigns aimed at persuading voters to support the candidate.