Humanity, throughout history, created and implemented numerous governing systems. We’ve had Monarchs in Europe, the Middle East, and India with Oligarchs in Russia, the “God-appointed” individuals bestowed to do as they pleased. Warlords, Aristocrats, Timocrats, Dictators, and more have held power over many centuries. But one particular system stood out in history. Unlike all those that came before and those to come, this one would be decided by the citizens of the country. They chose who they deemed most suitable to guide and lead them. Those in power ruled with the permission of their people and were answerable to them. A government made by the people, of the people, and for the people. It would go on to shape the world we live in today.
Democracy, a system held most sacred by most of the developed world. This system, so ferociously protected by the people of these nations, like its predecessors, isn’t without its shortfalls.
It is, without a doubt, one of the most successful governing structures. A structure built of elected representatives primarily serves the people, for they cannot remain in power if they don’t satisfy their voters’ needs. As a result, successfully democratized societies show sharp progress and development in various areas of the citizens’ lives. This is overwhelmingly evident when statistics show that the top 20 countries with the largest economies with an equally high Human Development Index(HDI) all happen to be democracies. In contrast, the non-democratic countries in the same list have a relatively lower HDI.
So what kind of flaw would such a system have? There are multiple reasons for a democracy to fail. This article will discuss its shortcomings in established nations and touch upon the problems of erecting it in developing and under-developed countries.
“By the People”
The foundation of a functioning democracy is its citizens. Ideally, the representatives and policies elected into effect reflect the people’s ideals, values, and goals. It is the people that decide their country's path. And hence, they are also the greatest weakness of democracy, should they falter for any reason. Throughout history, there have been multiple cases where the people are corrupted by lies and promises of grandeur and riches by a power-hungry political entity. Italy and Nazi Germany are prime examples of this. The same models also represent the catastrophic effects of radicalization and identity politics.
Political Literacy
The foremost concern with democracy is its citizens’ fundamental level of understanding of society. The people can vote reliably as long as they are informed enough and know how to interpret it. A person may interpret a situation in multiple ways.
For instance, a candy shop owner may say he offers you anything you want to eat, from chocolates to cakes and cookies. He points at a doctor, claiming that he tells you not to eat what you like and instead harms you and tells you how to live. The doctor, in his defense, says he does it for your sake.
In this scenario, although you may understand the doctor's side, it isn’t that apparent in large-scale issues where the entirety of the population is involved. A significant part of the population would support the candy shop owner if they interpreted it differently.
"Democracy is susceptible to being led astray by having scapegoats paraded in front of the electorate. Get the rich, the greedy, the criminals, the stupid leader and so on ad nauseam.”
- Frank Herbert
This is the main problem with democracy. An uneducated population that can’t tell the hard truth from the sweet lies. It ultimately leads to the population giving absolute support to a single political entity, thereby defeating the purpose of democracy.
“Democracy is only as good as the education surrounding it”
- Socrates
Here’s another scenario often used to criticize democracy: Imagine you are on a ship in rough waters. Who would you want leading the ship to the harbor; a seasoned sailor or just anyone who can speak well? The obvious answer would be a ship captain. Analogously, would you want society’s leaders to be selected by just anyone over 18 years or by intellectually inclined thinkers? This is an obvious shortfall of democracy since an uneducated population can easily be swayed by a charismatic leader who may lead society fray.
Charismatic leaders ought to come with a warning label on their forehead: ‘May be dangerous to your health.’
- Frank Herbert
The most crucial aspect of democracy is a wise and educated demographic. The system, in order to maintain itself, needs to teach its citizens about voting intelligently and political thinking. Only then does it hold any credibility over other systems.
Identity Politics & Radicalization
Although avoidable with education, it is essential to mention this distasteful political move. Identity politics is the utilization of identifying factors such as race, skin color, ethnicity, religion, etc., to favor that particular community and gain its support. While this may seem harmless, it has proven to be catastrophic to society. The methods of acquiring support include pitting communities against each other by flaring minor issues or past conflicts. This tactic blinds each side into believing they are right and the other side is wrong. America today is an example of this rampant self-destructive effect. The two major political parties tend to focus on particular communities and teach them to believe the other party is wrong and an enemy of the country.
The Nazi party made extensive use of identity politics of ethnicity. They favored ethnic Germans and convinced them that the Jews were responsible for Germany’s downfall. Additionally, their promises of bringing glory to the country won them a landslide election. Democracy ceased once the Nazis won an entire community against another. Read more on how the Nazis brainwashed their people here: Horrors of the 20th century: The Nazi Regime.
Similarly, when countries go to war, they convince their citizens that the other side is evil, a threat to their existence, and meant to be conquered. Imperial Japan, for example, had been planning on invading East Asia for decades. To make the war effort easy and to gain more support for the empire, they brainwashed the people to think of the Chinese as sub-humans destined to be decimated by the Japanese. I have detailed the empire’s use of identity politics in Horrors of the 20th century: Imperial Japan.
The Greek Hero
Democracy, like her creators’ old tales of Greek heroes, also has a fatal flaw. It also proves to be her greatest strength. The people can either uphold her values by being wise and educated or choose to be ignorant and become ‘useful idiots’ of political entities.
There are other forms of democracy that seem to solve its shortfalls. Two prominent systems include Epistocracy(Noocracy), a government run by wise people; Technocracy, a government run by technical experts. However, since these haven’t been tried yet, their effectiveness remains undetermined.
Democracy will remain the best, if not the perfect, system among all the others we have tried.