The importance of democracy

A mind map explaining why democracy is important today incl. key examples both historical and recent to help explain why democracy is important and how it can flourish.

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  • The importance of democracy
    • Establishes and protects freedoms.
      • The French Revolution (1789)
      • Mankind should be free - collectively and individually
      • No government can threaten freedom unless it is consented by the people
        • Collapse of the Soviet Union (1990)
    • Protects minorities.
      • Effective democracy takes minority groups into account
        • John Stuart Mill - tyranny of the majority
      • All groups have access to the political process
      • Minorities have a free voice and are free from discrimination
    • Controls government power.
      • Power tends to corrupt those who wield it
        • If government are left to their own devices, they will claim increasing amounts of power and abuse it
      • Corruption is avoided due to the government being accountable to the people
    • Encourages popular participation.
      • In free democracy, people have the opportunity to become informed...
        • ...and be directly involved in influencing decision making
    • Disperses power more widely.
      • If excessively concentrated, power is denied to a wider range of the population
      • When power is dispersed widely among people and non-governmental associations, democracy is well served
      • E.G. power lies in the hands of a small elite in Syria
        • Power removed from vast majority of pop. so democracy will fail to flourish.

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