TYPES OF DEMOCRACY

Each with varied levels of civilian participation in the political process, involving people in the process

• Participatory democracy

• Pluralist democracy

• Elite democracy

PARTICIPATORY DEMOCRACY

• Direct participation of many if not most people in a society

• People vote directly on laws and public matters rather than elect representation

• 5th century Athens as an example, although only males could vote

• Direct democracy

• Positive aspects: Everyone has a vote, less corruption since there are no representatives**.**

• Negative aspects: It’s difficult to make decisions with many people, and many things to vote on**.**

• Citizen’s assemblies, in school.

PLURALIST DEMOCRACY:

• Nongovernmental groups organize to try to exert influence on political desition making, Interest groups FACTIONS

• Raise and spend money in elections to help ensure the election of people sympathetic to their cause.

• Buy ads to influence public opinion on a topic

• Believe that ideas in the U.S. are scattered and varied and that no single point of view can control the shaping and administration of policy

• Negative: Could lead to corruption, larger groups more money and can use that to influence issues, public opinion on policies, get a biased view on topics

• Positive: Provide another way to engage people in the political process.

• LGBTQ+ communities, Black groups.

ELITE DEMOCRACY:

• Elected representatives make decisions and act as a trustee for the people who elected them

• Recognizes the inequity in the spread of power in society, people with resources and influence could dominate over other people

• Major traits in the US at its founding continued to the 20th century(progressive era)

• The idea that those with the most time, education, and money are the best to make decisions and be elected

• Negative: More space for corruption, inequality, and difficulties to be elected, lack of representation.

• Positive: Better education on topics to make decisions, deeper understanding on the topics they’re voting on, they can educate and explain these topics to the public, best representation.

• The electoral college, representatives.

Virginia plan

• Strengths: A strong central national government

  • distribution of power among the branches

  • Both houses and the number of representatives are based on the size of the population, better representation in the larger states and could reach the minorities of the state

House of Representatives: elected based on population, elected by the people

Senate: initially elected by state legislators, voted among the legislators

• Weaknesses: Lead to corruption

  • Amount of representatives based on their contribution to the federal treasury

  • Deciding state laws vs national laws, people being governed by two governments

  • Congress has a lot of power than the other branches

The new jersey plan

• Congress would have only one house (unicameral legislature)

  • equal representation between states

  • Make laws and treaties that were supreme to state laws

  • Regulate trade among states and with other nations

  • Levy import duties and stamp tax

  • Power to collect money from states if they refuse to pay

• The executive branch made up of more than one person

  • Appointed by congress

  • Administer national laws

  • Direct the military

  • Appoint other executive officials

• Supreme court appointed by the executive branch

• Smaller states interest

• Weaknesses: The equal representation is not that equal for bigger states