POLSCI 1G06 Lecture Notes - Direct Democracy, The Federalist Papers
16 Oct 2013
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Document Summary
In the modern context, democracy is almost universally advocated as the best model for organizing political life. Yet this was not always the case historically democracy has more often been the target of criticism than praise. What does democracy mean: democracy comes from the greek demos (people) and kratos (rule) Just what this rule of the people means and how it has been translated into actual political practice has been historically and culturally variable. In this lecture we will focus on two forms: direct democracy and indirect (liberal) democracy examine their justifications and explore their particular institutional structures. Where there are no specialized distinctions between governors and governed. Citizens are directly involved in governing themselves directly involved in debating and determining public laws, rules, regulations (rather than electing someone else to make these decisions) There are rare opportunities where we can directly participate (referendum) If you get enough signatures on a petition you are able to recall a certain member.
