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Lesson 7 What are observable kinds of democracy?
The word democracy has been used to describe a variety of regimes throughout history and the world. This lesson begins by explaining why so many countries throughout the world today claim to be democracies, when, in fact, for some countries, those claims are premature, questionable, or false. Although democracy is manifest in many different ways around the world, political scientists have developed a list of its most essential elements in practice. These generally accepted, minimal criteria can be used to judge the extent to which a country practices democracy and supports democratic ideals.
Being able to distinguish countries that are democracies from those that are democratic in name only will not only expand your understanding of democracy. It will also help you to compare the development of democracy in different countries, including your own.
After completing this lesson, you will be able to:
- Describe and explain the minimal criteria used to determine if a country is a democracy.
- Discuss in comparative perspective the development of democracy in Great Britain and France including comparing their constitutions, governance, and legal systems.
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