Abstract: This paper is concerned with analysing the history of the spread of democracy and its current health with a view to the maintenance and furtherance of democratic government in the new Millennium. The paper has been partly prompted by recent talk of a democratic deficit in the context of the institutions of the European Union. The paper largely draws on the history of democracy in Europe, and their derivative cultures overseas, particularly those that evolved out the English political system. It begins with some analysis of systems of government in terms of an evolutionary perspective and continues with a discussion of what is meant by democracy. This is followed by a historical survey of the emergence of democracy as a common form of government in the modern era. The major struggles been democracy and dictatorship in the present century are considered in some detail and there is a search for common features in those seven countries which have remained democratic throughout these upheavals. The paper ends by attempting to draw some conclusions and analysing briefly the so-called problem of the increasing democratic deficit.
Publication Year: 1999
Publication Date: 1999-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
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