Democracy and Law: Understanding Political Systems
Item 6: Democracy
Democracy is a way of organizing political power to prevent injustice and discrimination. It is a word formed from *demos* “people” and *cratos* “power”. It is the power of the people.
- Direct democracy is a democracy that makes all citizens decide on a matter, for example, by referendum.
- Indirect democracy is the kind of democracy through which voting shall elect a representative.
Dictatorship is the political system in which a tyrant comes to power and governs without a party, occupying it without respecting the popular will.
- Unitary state: It is central to this state, with only one that can be decentralized.
- Federal state: Several states join to form a union or federation.
Division of powers: It is a form of organization of power in democratic states. It is based on the principle of the division of powers, independent of each other: legislative, executive, and judicial.
Political parties are organizations that advocate different ideologies and undertake to comply with a government program if they win the election.
Referendum: It is a mechanism used to bring democracy to the people in consultation on the matter.
Law: It is a feature of government that is exercised in accordance with the law and must fulfill the requirements of legality and legitimacy.
Legitimacy: Legitimacy is met when the laws and election procedures are fair, are exercised with the consent of citizens, respecting the rights of all, and are governed by ethical standards.
- Liberalism is a political theory that states that the state does not have much power to avoid limiting the citizen’s liberty.
- Statism: The state has a lot of power to meet its obligations.
Popular sovereignty: The power that resides in the people.
Sovereign state: The sovereign state has power over other states.
Constitution: The state’s highest standard to which all other laws must adhere.
Tolerance: The great democratic virtue. It defends that nobody should be persecuted for their religious beliefs.
Sovereignty: Absolute and perpetual power of a republic.
Absolutism: What possessed the man who was the representative of the nation? The three powers rest with the monarch who is the ruler.
Political corruption: The abuse of power for private gain.
Item 7: Law
Law: Ways to make a living reality, ordering it through rules and laws. There are two types of law: the set of objective standards that can push yourself so coercively, and subjectivized, the ability to act.
- Public law: The set of rules governing the organization and activities of the state and public authorities, and also governing relationships with individuals in the state.
- Private law regulates the activities of individuals. On them, it has a certain power of public control, but essentially respecting individual initiative.
Rule of law: The law regulates and controls the power and state activity.
Legal security: A set of conditions and protection from abuse and arbitrary actions.
Legal positivism: A theory that justifies the right in the law itself without recourse to anything not theirs, and external to it.
Theory of justice: Claims that the ultimate foundation of law and what it can give legitimacy lies outside it.
Naturalism: A theory that justifies the right values and principles of ethics.
Speaking ability: Capacity allows us to be subjects of rights and laws.