Advantages and disadvantages of democracy

Monday, December 03, 2018 at 6:39 PM by Adrianna Simwa 4 min read

Democracy is the type of political power where the government is considered the servant of the people. Nowadays such model of the ruling is applied in the majority of the countries of the world, including Nigeria. The principle of democracy looks very beautiful. But why are many democratic countries not rich and happy? The answer is simple: because there are advantages and disadvantages of democracy.

Advantages of democracy

The principle of separation of powers into legislative, executive and judicial limits the arbitrariness of power. With the development of civil society, some media have a significant influence on the government.
There are institutions of control over the activities of the state. First of all, this is a universal electoral system, due to which citizens have the opportunity to limit the governmental power. The control function is also performed by the judicial system, which is supposed to be independent. Besides, it promotes the equality of all people as far as the law is concerned.
In a democracy, pluralism of opinions is supported. Any repressions are condemned. It forces the authorities to listen to the views of various sections of society and various political forces.
One more thing among all benefits of democracy is that you can organize processions, protests, demonstrate your opinion. An inconsistent minority can sometimes be a carrier of alternative goals and ways to achieve them. If people like and accept new ideas presented by the minority, the minority may become the majority and change the state. So it promotes changes and gives a chance to the revolution.
Democratic political systems sharply limit the possibility of overt power of the individual. The power of groups is growing stronger. When people elect their deputies (representatives) to rule the governmental structures, then, in fact, they form the elite – the group of people with different opinions.

Disadvantages of democracy

The first and most significant disadvantage of democracy – THERE IS NO PURE DEMOCRACY! No model of democracy will create a mechanism of democracy, when "all power belongs to the people," since this is infeasible. The citizens consist of various social groups that have their own specific interests.
In democratic conditions, the decision-making process may take a long time. Even if we are not speaking about the national voting, it takes some time for deputies/congress/people’s representatives to vote to apply the law. Sometimes, the decision must be made immediately.
Corruption often appears in democratic countries because people always look for personal interests. There are too many establishments in the democratic state, and the leaders who possess this minor power may take advantage of their position.
For the democratic society, quantity is more important than quality. The majority of people have no idea about the governmental processes and often chose wrong candidates, usually loved by masses. That is why an actor who has nothing to do with politics but who loved by the masses has more chances to win than an intelligent young and unknown politician.

Merits and demerits of democracy

Merits of democracy:

Members of the government try to participate in social activities, to be closer to people and to win their sympathy.
With the introduction of democracy, the public became more educated in political, economic, and social matters.
People become more patriotic in their national unity and sometimes even form revolutionary power to change the rulers of the country.
People and media have the freedom of speech and influence the government.

Demerits of democracy:

There is no censorship in the mass media and on the Internet, and the psychological state of children is endangered.
There is no severe punishment for terrible crimes and terrorism.
Many people are lazy to take part in elections and are not encouraged by the government.
Elections are expensive.
Corruption

Today, this form of the rule is chosen in many countries and is considered the best in the world. The humanity already tried other forms and obviously, it is ready to get along with the demerits of the democracy that seem minor in comparison with the totalitarianism.