Democracy

Democracy and America 1

Democracy and America

With the Existence of Wide Spread Poverty , Can America Still be Regarded as A Democratic Country ? Will the Elimination of Poverty Make the System More Democratic

Democracy and America 2

Introduction

America is , undoubtedly , regarded as the wealthiest nation of the world But , unfortunately , it is reported that there are many poor and unhappy people living in the country . According to the critics , this situation is the real paradox of American democracy . In spite of affluence , it is held that there exists

much discrimination against some social groups and that though some people live in ivory-tower - others spend life in darkness and sorrow . Thus , peculiarly , there is poverty in the midst of plenty . As Schwattschneider has pointed out , the system is now dominated by the upper class

Democratic Characteristics American System

Obviously , democracy implies some characteristics which America has largely attained during its march towards prosperity . The Founding Fathers , who drafted the constitution at Philadelphia , were largely inspired by the democratic ideal and hence , they inserted in it all the necessary provisions in to bring forth a democratic society

Firstly , Democracy means a popular system in which power resides in the hands of the people . In this sense , it is a system `for the people , of the people and led by the people . The representatives of people directly exercise power , but the sovereign people regulate the system from behind . The American system has definitely respected this principle . There are three organs of the Government - the Executive , the Legislature and the Judiciary . The President is the executive head of the state and he is indirectly elected by people through an electoral college . The Parliament , known as the Congress , is composed of two Houses - Senate and the House of Representatives . The members of both the Houses are directly elected by the people . The Judges of the superior courts are , however , chosen by the President - but in some federal units , the Judges of the lower courts are popularly elected Thus , the machinery of the Government unmistakably represents the democratic ideal

Democracy and America 3

Secondly , in democracy , the people are the real source of power . The competition for power is open to all - though it is practically limited between two major parties - the Democratic and the Republican Party Often the power shifts , like a shuttle-cock , from one side to the other and , truly , such change is caused by the change in public opinion . For example , though there was a Democratic President (H .S . Truman ) from 1945 to 1953 , the Republican candidate , D .D . Eisenhower , won the next election and remained in power till 1961 . But in 1961 , J . Kennedy from the Democratic Party came to power . Again in the year 1969 , R .M . Nixon a Republican leader , occupied the presidential chair . All these depend upon the shifting mood of the electorate

Thirdly , though it is held that democracy is a system in which the `people rule the state (L . Bryce , in practice , it is the...