Democracy

Text 1: Conceptions of democracy

 

7. to equate v - уравнивать, (sth to sth); приравнивать, отожде­ствлять (sth with sth); equation n - выравнивание, уравнива­ние; уравнение; equated (a) - уравненный, отождествлен­ный; phr - equation of demand and supply - соответст­вие/выравнивание спроса и предложения.

8. to confine v - ограничивать; заключать (в тюрьму); confinement п - ограничение; заключение (в тюрьму); solitary confinement - одиночное заключение.

WORDS AND WORD COMBINATIONS:

 

PRE-READING activity:

♦ Learn the topical vocabulary and word combinations

VOCABULARY:

1. to participate v — участвовать, (in sth); a participant n — уча­стник, participation n — участие; a participator n — участник.

2. to determine v — определять, устанавливать, решать(ся), на­значать (дату); determination n - решимость, определение; determined а — решительный, твердый, determinative а — оп­ределяющий, решающий; determinate а — окончательный.

3. to involve v - вовлекать, впутывать, включать в себя; phr - to be involved in sth — быть вовлеченным, участвовать в; involvement n — вовлечение, участие.

4. to compete v - конкурировать, соревноваться, состязаться, competition n — конкуренция, соревнование, состязание; phr - to be in competition with — соревноваться с кем-либо, severe competition — жестокая конкуренция; competitor n — соперник; competitive a - соревнующийся, конкурентно-способный.

5. to submit v - (to) - покоряться, подчиняться; (for) - пред­ставлять (на рассмотрение); submission n - покорность, подчинение; передача на рассмотрение; phr - with all due submission - с должным уважением; submissive а - покор­ный.

6. to mediate v - быть посредником (между), mediation n - по­средничество, mediator n - посредник; mediate a - проме­жуточный.

 

to empower sb	дать возможность, право,
credentials	обоснования, оправдания,
	полномочия
to construe	истолковывать
to lack sth.	испытывать недостачу, не-
	хватку
to lay sth down	сформулировать, установить
to endorse democracy	одобрить демократию
to override the will	не считаться с волей (проиг-
	норировать желание)
to kick the rascals out	выкинуть (прокатить на выбо-
	рах) мошенников

• Work in pairs:Do you think the following statements are true or false?

• The term 'people' has got only one interpretation.

• People's participation in making crucial decisions that structure their lives and determine the fate of their society can take a number of forms.

• In the case of 'direct democracy¹, popular participation entails direct involvement in decision-making through referendum^ or even interactive television.

• In the case of 'representative democracy' people are not represented in decision-making.

• In the models of democracy built on the principle 'government tor the people' public participation in decision-making is guaranteed.

• The general public lack the wisdom, education and experience to rule wisely on their own behalf.

• In 'radical democracy', people are seen as having a basic right to participate in the making of any decisions that affect their lives.

 

SO

• Feminists have always demanded the demoralisation of family
life, understood as the right of all to participate in the making of
decisions in the domestic or private life.

♦ Discuss/check your considerations with the rest of the
class.

SCAN reading:look through the text to find the answers to the true/false statements

TEXT 1: CONCEPTIONS OF DEMOCRACY

Most conceptions of democracy are based on the principle of 'government by the people'.

Although 'the people' is now accepted as meaning virtually all adult citizens, the term can be construed in a number of different ways. The people, for instance, can be viewed as a single, cohesive body, bound together by a common or collective interest: in this sense, the people are one and indivisible. Alternatively, as division and disagreement exist within all communities, 'the people' may in practice be taken to mean 'the majority'. In this case, democracy comes to mean the strict application of the principle of majority rule in which the will of the majority or numerically strongest overrides the will of the minority. This can nevertheless mean that democracy degenerates into 'the tyranny of the majority'. Finally, the people can be thought of as a collection of free and equal individuals, each of whom has a right to make autonomous decisions. Not only does this view clearly contradict any form of majoritarianism, but it also implies that, in the final analysis, only unanimous decisions can be binding upon the demos, and so dramatically restricts the application of democratic principles.

This implies that, in effect, people govern themselves, that they participate in making the crucial decisions that structure their lives and determine the fate of their society. This participation can take a number of forms, however. In the case of direct democracy,popular participation entails direct and continuous involvement in decision-making, through devices such as referendums, mass meetings, or even interactive television. The alternative and more common form of democratic participation is the act of voting, which is the central feature of what is usually called representative democracy. When

citizens vote, they do not so much make the decisions that structure their own lives as choose who will make those decisions on their behalf. What gives voting its democratic character, however, is that, provided that the election is competitive, it empowers the public to 'kick the rascals out', and it thus makes politicians publicly accountable.

There are also models of democracy that are built on the principle of 'government for the people', and that allows little scope for public participation of any kind, direct or indirect. The most grotesque example of this was found in the so-called totalitarian democracies which developed under fascist dictators such as Mussolini and Hitler. The democratic credentials of such regimes were based on the claim that the 'leader', and the leader alone, articulated the genuine interests of the people, thus implying that a 'true' democracy can be equated with an absolute dictatorship. In such cases, popular rule means nothing more than ritualised submission to the will of an all-powerful leader, orchestrated through rallies, marches and demonstrations. This was sometimes portrayed as plebiscitary democracy. Totalitarian democracies demonstrate the tension that can exist between 'government by the people' (or popular participation),;md 'government for the people' (rule in the public interest). Advocates of representative democracy, for example, have wished to confine popular participation in politics to the act of voting, precisely because they fear that the general public lack the wisdom, education and experience to rule wisely on their own behalf.

An alternative view of democracy is often developed by, for example, socialists and radical democrats. In radical democracy,democracy is not seen as a means of laying down a framework within which individuals can go about their own business, but rather as a general principle that is applicable to all areas of social existence. IVople are seen as having a basic right to participate in the making of any decisions that affect their lives, with democracy simply being the collective process through which this is done. Instead of endorsing mere political democracy, socialists have therefore called for 'social democracy' or 'industrial democracy'. Feminists, similarly, have demanded the democratisation of family life, understood as the right of all to participate in the making of decisions in the domestic or private sphere. From this perspective, democracy is regarded as a lucnd of liberty, not as its enemy. Only when such principles are ignored can oppression and exploitation flourish.