4a. Essay Plan – Fear of democracy
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31st July 2018
Fear of democracy
“A fear of democracy runs throughout liberalism” Discuss.
REMEMBER: Democracy means, in simple terms, rule by the people, implying both popular participation and government in the public interest.
Liberals have been ambivalent about the benefits of democracy. Very few liberals, and none in the modern period, reject democracy out of hand, on the other hand, no liberals accept democracy uncritically.
| Amongst the benefits of democracy, from a liberal perspective, are the following: | Liberals have nevertheless feared ‘excessive’ democracy for a number of reasons. These include the following: |
| Democracy defends freedom, by ensuring public accountability and allowing citizens to protect themselves against tyrannical government and unpopular policies. This is an argument that has been particularly stressed by classical liberals. | Democracy may lead to the ‘tyranny of the majority’, in that the principle of majority rule may either lead to the suppression of minority rights or individual freedom, or may create a culture of dull conformism, based on the unfounded assumption that the majority is always right. |
| By broadening and deepening popular participation, democracy has educational benefits, serving the needs of self-development and creating a better informed and more politically engaged citizenry. This argument has been popular particularly amongst modern liberals. | Democratic systems that widen access to political influence tend to be characterised by a growth in interventionism and the problem of over-government. Such interventionism may weaken the efficiency of market capitalism, disadvantaging the mass of citizens in the long run. |
| Democracy has the benefit that, in giving a political voice to all groups and interests in society, it tends to promote consensus and thereby underpins political stability. | Democracy is necessarily collectivist, in that it places political authority in the hands of ‘the people’, thereby ignoring the needs and interests of individual citizens. |
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