Democracy is a government formed by the people in hopes that the elected will not become a despot. As much as the people attempt to avoid electing a president who intends to use his power for the good of the people, no one can be completely confident that this will occur in all countries of the world. The statement said by Plato “Democracy leads to despotism” is true; however, with systems like checks and balances it can be prevented. Unfortunately in countries in Africa the people may democratically elect their president, however, still end up with an oppressive leader. Michael Gerson from the Washington Post reveals that in South Africa it “remains an example of freedom—while devaluing and undermining the freedom of others,” proving that even though their leader was chosen through a democracy it did not prevent him from acting in a cruel oppressive manner. A democracy will only truly prohibit despotism from occurring by creating necessary procedures in order to prevent the elected from growing any additional power. Fortunately, the United States has set a strong example and hopefully will expand to other countries soon.
I completely agree with your argument. The United States' system was set up well with the checks and balances and, so far, has been able to prevent despots from being in power; however, other countries, as you stated, are not as fortunate to have this system and despots can gain power. Good job getting a quote from the Washington Post!!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you and I like your example of another country democratically electing a leader who becomes cruel and corruptive to the system. Also, you and Melissa both have good points about the U.S. setting a good example!
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