Democracy, India, And South Africa - 875 Words

As the Economist article highlights, â€Å"democracies are going through a difficult time† and currently its forward momentum seems to be at a standstill in the modern-day world (The Economist, n.d.), but the mere fact that democracy has the ability to have â€Å"taken root in the most difficult circumstances possible† (the article noting Germany, India, and South Africa of major importance) should be a testament that the democratic ideal is effective and perhaps more importantly, supported, amongst many citizens universally (The Economist, n.d.). One of the first actions towards reinstating and balancing the effectiveness of current democracy is popular participation. Getting citizens to become fully engaged and passionate about participating in politics is integral to a democracy’s success, one that entails not having to compromise in order to achieve an effective yet limited government. As the textbook highlights, without the participation of the public from t he entirety of society, governments are less likely to respond to the people’s needs and put the people’s interests at the forefront (Mintz, et al., 2013). A more effective government and a stronger display of democracy will be allowed only when the majority of citizens participate in the voting process freely. In the 2011 Canadian election, the Conservative government found itself obtaining a majority of seats in the House of Commons with only 25 percent of the potential electorate; to begin with, only 61 percent of theShow MoreRelatedSummary of Two Articles: Democracy Canadian-style Part I and Coal India Ltd Floats Expression of Interest for Overseas Coal Assets749 Words   |  3 PagesDemocracy Summary In the article Democracy Canadian-style Part I: Abroad (Walberg, 2013) the Canadian democracy takes orders from its US-Euro masters to invade countries in order to set up mechanisms for elections when necessary. It uses its foreign diplomatic services to support the needs of Canadian corporations abroad and facilitate the efforts to produce profits. The author is questioning their motives in respects as to supporting the profit needs of corporations or if they are consideringRead MoreWhat Made Non Violence Work1154 Words   |  5 Pagesabout change. This DBQ will look at two countries where a non-violent movement was successful. Historic Context India and South Africa were two important nations on two different continents. But although they looked strong on the outside, each one suffered from a disease that threatened the health of the whole. For India, the disease was colonization. For South Africa, it was racial segregation. Three Conditions In each of these nations three conditions help explain why non-violenceRead MoreMahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, and Nelson Mandela1504 Words   |  7 Pageswas the preeminent leader of Indian nationalism in British-ruled India. Employing non-violent civil disobedience, Gandhi led India to independence and inspired movements for non-violence, civil rights and freedom across the world. A very important turning point in Gandhi’s life is he arrived in South Africa to work as a legal representative for the Muslim Indian traders based in the city of Pretoria when he was 24. In South Africa he faced the discrimination directed at colored people, prejudiceRead MoreThe Long Term Potential Growth Rate Of South Africa Essay1006 Words   |  5 PagesThe long-term potential growth rate of South Africa under the current policy environment has been estimated at 3.5%.Per capita GDP growth has proved mediocre, though improving, growing by 1.6% a year from 1994 to 2009, and by 2.2% o ver the 2000–09 decade, compared to world growth of 3.1% over the same period. The high levels of unemployment, at over 25%, and inequality are considered by the government and most South Africans to be the most salient economic problems facing the country. These issuesRead MoreCodified Constitutions Are Not An Essential Element Of Democracy1614 Words   |  7 Pagesconsidered that codified constitutions are an essential element of democracy in that by clearly setting out the functions of each branch of government and their relations with each other and their citizens, this prevents an over powerful executive developing and ensures rights of citizens are protected. However, I believe that codified constitutions are not an essential element of democracy as there are examples of robust democracies which have uncodified constitutions and at times codified constitutionsRead MoreCommonwealth Realm1566 Words   |  7 Pageswhich was originally slated to host the summit in 2011, was accused of committing atrocities during the Sri Lankan civil war and the summit was instead held in Perth, Australia; Colombo was given the 2013 summit instead.[3][4] The leaders of Canada, India, and Mauritius boycotted the summit, citing alleged human rights violations by Sri Lanka against its Tamil minority. Protests were also banned during the summit.[5] President Mahinda Rajapaksa summarised the summits events as: Issues covered in theRead MoreThe Second Wave Of Democracy1682 Words   |  7 PagesThe third wave of democracy started in Portugal in 1974 and spread to Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America. This included spreading democracy to many nations that were previously thought to be inhospitable to democracy. This led many scholars to re-evaluate the leading theories on democratization in an attempt to correlate and understand this newest wave of democracy. Many of the countries that didn’t fit in this established wealthy, mostly â€Å"Western† mold, could be classified and explained byRead MoreEssay on Imperialism1578 Words   |  7 Pa gesprevailed to this day. Imperialism caused a breakdown of the previous cultures and lifestyles that the natives had followed. The European imperialism caused many of the now prevalent ethnic rivalries that can be found in northern India, parts of Asia, and parts of Africa. quot;Africa and much of the developing world have been struggling for nearly half a century to come to terms with grinding ethnic and tribal rivalries that remain, in a way, one of the most enduring legacies of their colonial past.quot;Read MoreExpansion Of United Nations Security Council1344 Words   |  6 Pagesthe call for a more effective Council. Thus far, three fundamental plans have been proposed, the G4 (Brazil, India, Germany and Japan) plan, UFC (United for Consensus) plan and the Ezulwini Consensus. The G4 plans visualize a council with 25 members in total. This number would be inclusive of 6 new permanent members in the form of India, Germany, Japan, Brazil and two countries from Africa. It would also include 3 elected seats. The second plan which is UFC also advocates for 25 council membersRead MoreThe Great Divide : How And Why The Apartheid Differ From Colonial Rule1438 Words   |  6 PagesAfrican mining, agricultural and rubber economies. But nothing that Africa had previously suffered was quite like the apartheid, which South Africa was exposed to from 1948-1994. The apartheid was a systematic of racial segregation in South Africa enforced by the all-white National Party with the goal to â€Å"separate South Africa’s white minority from its non-white majority, non-whites from each other, and to divi de black South Africans to decrease their political power†. In essence, under apartheid