Democracy, nationalism and secularism

Political Science · Ideologies and political concepts. The idea in plain words, the rules to remember, the mistake to avoid and a worked example, written and checked by Mega Lecture.

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The idea

Democracy means rule by the people. In direct democracy citizens decide laws themselves, as in ancient Athens or in a modern referendum. Large states use representative democracy: citizens elect people to decide for them. Liberal democracy adds limits on the majority: a constitution, protected rights, free opposition, a free press and independent courts.

Nationalism is the belief that a people who share an identity form a nation and should govern themselves in their own state.

Secularism keeps the state and religious institutions separate, so the state favours no religion and citizens are free to worship. In the theory of the Islamic state, sovereignty belongs to Allah and rulers hold authority as a trust, governing through consultation (shura).

Rules to remember

Lincoln, Gettysburg Address, 1863: government of the people, by the people, for the people.
Principles of democracy: popular sovereignty, political equality, majority rule with minority rights, free and regular elections, free opposition and press.
Tools of direct democracy: referendum (vote on a law or constitutional change), initiative (citizens propose a law), recall (voters remove an official before the term ends).
Tyranny of the majority: the warning of Alexis de Tocqueville, later taken up by J. S. Mill.
Merits: accountability, peaceful change of government, protection of rights. Demerits: slow decisions, cost, risk of demagogues and of majority pressure on minorities.
Modern nationalism got its first great impulse from the French Revolution of 1789; Mazzini founded Young Italy in 1831.
Islamic state in theory: sovereignty of Allah, law based on the Shariah, rule by consultation (shura), accountability of the ruler.

Common mistake

Do not treat elections alone as democracy. A liberal democracy also needs real competition, free expression and protection for minorities; and secularism means state neutrality between religions, not hostility to religion.

Worked example

A country elects its parliament every five years. The constitution also lets 100,000 citizens put a proposed law to a national vote. Which forms of democracy does it combine?

Electing a parliament to make laws is representative democracy.
Citizens proposing a law themselves is the initiative, and voting on it directly is a referendum.
Both of these are tools of direct democracy, used here inside a representative system.

Answer: It combines representative democracy with direct democracy (initiative and referendum).

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