Mostrando entradas con la etiqueta Democracy Defined. Mostrar todas las entradas
Mostrando entradas con la etiqueta Democracy Defined. Mostrar todas las entradas
jueves, 21 de febrero de 2013
Spain in the World
Spain in the World
To know a country, city or any other place, it is not enough to find out about its customs, language or politics. We can only have a true knowledge of reality - of a country in this case – if we are able to place it in context, and in this case it would be a double context: those of place and time. We can only know what Spain is according to its location in the world and history; this way, we go from a narrow concept of citizenship to a wide and cosmopolitan one.
“Spain is a country with deep historical roots in
Europe. A country which - as can be seen through
its cultural heritage - has gone through some
conflictive and magnificent times that contribute to
explaining its current reality. Spain has its own
personality and idiosyncrasies, characterised by
several phenomena, like the discovery of America
or its neutrality during the two World Wars. But at
the same time, its history shares some aspects of
the history of other European countries, when –
while conscience of its diversity - it declared itself
a unified state and played a leading role in some
of the most important chapters of modern European history..”
Information from the official webpage of the Office
of the President and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Development
We recommend that you visit the webpage.
Some data taken from Wikipedia and supplemented with official statistcs pages, (www.ine.es).
miércoles, 20 de febrero de 2013
DEMOCRACY (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
DEMOCRACY
A woman casts her vote in the second round of the French presidential election of 2007
Democracy is a form of government
in which all eligible citizens have an equal say in the decisions that
affect their lives. Democracy allows eligible citizens to participate
equally—either directly or through elected representatives—in the
proposal, development, and creation of laws. It encompasses social, economic and cultural conditions that enable the free and equal practice of political self-determination.
The term originates from the Greek δημοκρατία (dēmokratía) "rule of the people",[1] which was coined from δῆμος (dêmos) "people" and κράτος (kratos) "power" in the 5th century BCE to denote the political systems then existing in Greek city-states, notably Athens; the term is an antonym to ἀριστοκρατία "rule of an elite." While theoretically these definitions are in opposition, in practice the distinction has been blurred historically.[2] The political system of Classical Athens, for example, granted democratic citizenship to an elite class of free men and excluded slaves and women from political participation. In virtually all democratic governments throughout ancient and modern history, democratic citizenship consisted of an elite class until full enfranchisement was won for all adult citizens in most modern democracies through the suffrage movements of the 19th and 20th centuries. The English word dates to the 16th century, from the older Middle French and Middle Latin equivalents.
A democratic government contrasts to forms of government where power is either held by one, as in a monarchy, or where power is held by a small number of individuals, as in an oligarchy. Nevertheless, these oppositions, inherited from Greek philosophy,[3] are now ambiguous because contemporary governments have mixed democratic, oligarchic, and monarchic elements. Karl Popper defined democracy in contrast to dictatorship or tyranny, thus focusing on opportunities for the people to control their leaders and to oust them without the need for a revolution.[4]
Several variants of democracy exist, but there are two basic forms, both of which concern how the whole body of all eligible citizens executes its will. One form of democracy is direct democracy, in which all eligible citizens have direct and active participation in the decision making of the government. In most modern democracies, the whole body of all eligible citizens remain the sovereign power but political power is exercised indirectly through elected representatives; this is called representative democracy. The concept of representative democracy arose largely from ideas and institutions that developed during the European Middle Ages, the Age of Enlightenment, and the American and French Revolutions.[5]
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the use of the term "democracy" as referring to a system involving multiparty elections, representative government, and freedom of speech, see Liberal democracy. For other uses, see Democracy (disambiguation).
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Democracy
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The term originates from the Greek δημοκρατία (dēmokratía) "rule of the people",[1] which was coined from δῆμος (dêmos) "people" and κράτος (kratos) "power" in the 5th century BCE to denote the political systems then existing in Greek city-states, notably Athens; the term is an antonym to ἀριστοκρατία "rule of an elite." While theoretically these definitions are in opposition, in practice the distinction has been blurred historically.[2] The political system of Classical Athens, for example, granted democratic citizenship to an elite class of free men and excluded slaves and women from political participation. In virtually all democratic governments throughout ancient and modern history, democratic citizenship consisted of an elite class until full enfranchisement was won for all adult citizens in most modern democracies through the suffrage movements of the 19th and 20th centuries. The English word dates to the 16th century, from the older Middle French and Middle Latin equivalents.
A democratic government contrasts to forms of government where power is either held by one, as in a monarchy, or where power is held by a small number of individuals, as in an oligarchy. Nevertheless, these oppositions, inherited from Greek philosophy,[3] are now ambiguous because contemporary governments have mixed democratic, oligarchic, and monarchic elements. Karl Popper defined democracy in contrast to dictatorship or tyranny, thus focusing on opportunities for the people to control their leaders and to oust them without the need for a revolution.[4]
Several variants of democracy exist, but there are two basic forms, both of which concern how the whole body of all eligible citizens executes its will. One form of democracy is direct democracy, in which all eligible citizens have direct and active participation in the decision making of the government. In most modern democracies, the whole body of all eligible citizens remain the sovereign power but political power is exercised indirectly through elected representatives; this is called representative democracy. The concept of representative democracy arose largely from ideas and institutions that developed during the European Middle Ages, the Age of Enlightenment, and the American and French Revolutions.[5]
Democracy (Stanford Encyclopedia)
Democracy
First published Thu Jul 27, 2006
Normative democratic theory deals with the moral foundations of
democracy and democratic institutions. It is distinct from descriptive
and explanatory democratic theory. It does not offer in the first
instance a scientific study of those societies that are called
democratic. It aims to provide an account of when and why democracy is
morally desirable as well as moral principles for guiding the design of
democratic institutions. Of course, normative democratic theory is
inherently interdisciplinary and must call on the results of political
science, sociology and economics in order to give this kind of concrete
guidance.This brief outline of normative democratic theory focuses attention on four distinct issues in recent work. First, it outlines some different approaches to the question of why democracy is morally desirable at all. Second, it explores the question of what it is reasonable to expect from citizens in large democratic societies. This issue is central to the evaluation of normative democratic theories as we will see. A large body of opinion has it that most classical normative democratic theory is incompatible with what we can reasonably expect from citizens. It also discusses blueprints of democratic institutions for dealing with issues that arise from a conception of citizenship. Third, it surveys different accounts of the proper characterization of equality in the processes of representation. These last two parts display the interdisciplinary nature of normative democratic theory. Fourth, it discusses the issue of whether and when democratic institutions have authority and it discusses different conceptions of the limits of democratic authority.
- 1. Democracy Defined
- 2. The Justification of Democracy
- 3. The Problem of Democratic Citizenship
- 4. Legislative Representation
- 5. The Authority of Democracy
- Bibliography
- Other Internet Resources
- Related Entries
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